He’s cooled slightly after a brilliant start to the season but Queensland’s Brad Kennedy will be quietly confident heading to one of the richest tournaments on the Japan circuit this week.

Kennedy, who posted three runner-up finishes in the space of six starts at the beginning of the year, has an enviable record at the Heiwa PGM Championship finishing 5^th in 2014 and T6 in the tournament’s debut year in 2013.

The Queenslander is one of nine Australasians teeing up in the event which is one of only four on the schedule to offer a purse of more than AU$2 million.

Brendan Jones, Kurt Barnes, Adam Bland, Michael Hendry, David Smail, Scott Strange, Matt Griffin and Won Joon Lee are also in the field.

Bland will like his chances this week after a runner-up result in his last start at the Bridgestone Open and a top-10 in his only appearance at this event last year.

With his first win in Japan coming in just his third event of the year, Bland has been able to freewheel in 2015 and while he suffered a mini slump of sorts through the middle of the season has been in better form his past two events.

Brendan Jones also comes into the week with confidence, recording his second top-10 of the season on the back of a final round 66 at last week’s ABC Championship.

That score was his equal best round of the year and an indication his game is getting back on track after two years of disruption with a wrist injury.

Won Joon Lee is another worth watching this week as he backs up from a runner-up result last week.

The Japan Tour rookie now has three top-10’s for the season and with his confidence high could go low again this week.

With five events left in the season and some of the biggest purses of the year on offer Matt Griffin and David Smail are the only two Australasians outside the top-60 on the money list.