The Kroger Queen City Championship, an LPGA Tour event for women's golf, kicks off on September 20th (Japan time) at TPC Rivers Bend in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio, and will be broadcast live on WOWOW every day. Eight Japanese players will be participating, including Yuka Sasao, who tied for fifth place at last year's tournament, Nasa Hataoka, Mao Saigo, Hinako Shibuno, Yuna Nishimura, Minami Katsu, Mone Inami, and Yuri Yoshida. Ahead of the start of the tournament, we asked the eight players about their enthusiasm.
◇Nasa Hataoka
How did you spend your two-week break?
I went back to Japan and trained, and did a little practice, I guess.
Was there anything you worked on in preparation for this week?
My neck is still not quite healed, so I focused on getting it healed.
What do you think of this week's Arnold Palmer-designed course?
It's very long and there are many places where momentum is involved, so it seems difficult.
--After playing a practice round, how are you feeling now?
I don't think I'm feeling too bad, and the green seems to be rolling pretty much the way I imagined, so I'll do my best to get good birdie chances and make them.
--Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm.
There are only a few games left this season, so I hope to play each game with care.
◇Sasao Yuka
--This course was designed by Arnold Palmer. What is your impression of it?
I think it's beautiful.
--What do you think will be the key point?
I think it's the green first. It's a very modern design, so it's difficult to know where to aim.
--There seems to be some undulations on the fairway, so how are your shots going?
There are some undulations, but the fairway isn't very hard, so I don't think the slope will be too much of a problem.
--There are nine games left. Please tell us if there are any areas you want to focus on or goals you have.
The Asia Series starts after the two games in the US, and the weather changes drastically from week to week, sometimes cold and sometimes hot, but I want to stay healthy and stay injury-free in the second half of the season.
-Please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.
First of all, I want to enjoy it, and then I hope to get through the qualifying rounds.
◇Mao Saigo
-How did you spend your two-week off?
I took a good rest for a week and also trained, so I think it was a great break.
-What did you do in terms of technique or training?
I continued to do the same training over and over, and even practicing my shots at a driving range in Japan feels different when I come here, so I didn't make any weird swing adjustments or fine adjustments, and focused on recovering my strength. I haven't practiced my shots that much, but I think I was able to practice well around the green.
-There are nine games left this season. Please tell us what you are conscious of and what your goals are.
There are not many tournaments left, but of course I want to do my best to win, and I want to continue competing for the top spots in every match and play well to finish on a good note.
You're a rookie this season, but has there been any change in the way you prepared for matches in the first half of the season compared to how you're preparing now?
At the beginning, I wanted to see the course and practice, so I was very tired physically and often couldn't last until the final day. Since then, I've gradually changed my approach to saving my practice time so that I can perform at my best on the final day, and I think I'm doing a good job of saving now, so I hope I can continue to do the same next year.
Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.
The course felt very difficult this week, so I want to do my best to get pars and get birdies on the chance holes.
◇Shibuno Hinako
This is your first US tour in about a month, so how did you spend your time off?
It's rare to have a three-week break during the season, so I've been taking it easy, but I've been training and practicing. I think it was a fulfilling experience.
--This week's course was designed by Arnold Palmer. What are your impressions?
--I think it's a pretty interesting course, the greens are well-finished, and there are many holes that I think are really difficult, so I think it's difficult after all.
--The green on the 9th hole is narrow, and there are some holes with long inside courses, so what do you think are the key points?
--There are some places where the rough is so long that I feel like I have to keep it on the fairway as much as possible, so I'll do my best to get it on the par 5s. But there are many difficult holes, like the 9th hole, so I hope I can play safely around there.
--There are a lot of undulations on the fairway and greens, so how do you feel about that?
Well, there are quite a few, so I'm not sure how I'd like to play them (laughs).
--Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.
--I'll do my best to compete for four days and be in a good position to be chased.
◇Nishimura Yuna
--You had a tough schedule last week playing on the Japanese tour, how is your physical condition and jet lag?
--I was pretty tired last week, so I'm still sleepy because I came here on that momentum (laughs).
--In that case, what is your impression of this course?
The inside course is particularly long, and in the latter half there are many holes where you have to use a wood, but the green is short vertically, so it's quite difficult. It's a course that makes you want to hit the ball farther, so I think you'll be concerned about where to attack (in a match).
--The green on the 9th hole is short vertically, so is there a hole that you're concerned about?
It's hard to narrow it down to one hole, but I think the 1st hole is a series of relatively easy holes, so I'll try to hit them well, and from the 9th hole onwards the inside course becomes much more difficult, so I'll try to endure that.
--There are 9 games left this season, are there any areas or goals that you want to be conscious of?
I think that participating in the final round is a goal that is close to me right now, and before the season started I set a goal of "winning this year," so although I don't feel that it's that close because I'm not in good shape, I hope I can keep working hard toward that goal without giving up.
--Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.
It's a very difficult course, so I think it will be a tough match for me, but I will do my best to aim for passing the qualifying round.
◇Katsu Minami
--You had two weeks off. How did you spend it?
The first week was pretty busy because I played in a match in Okinawa right after returning to Japan. The last week was spent relaxing and watching baseball games and eating delicious food.
--You may have been able to refresh yourself, but how about jet lag?
You're pretty jet lag-ing. I'm really sleepy right now.
--This course seems quite difficult, what do you think?
The greens look soft, and you have a long club so it doesn't seem like you'll be able to stop playing that much. Also, the grass around the green seems to get a bit caught on the approach shots, so I think that's going to be difficult.
--There are only a few games left this season, so please tell us what you're conscious of or what your goals are.
--I want to play in the last CME (Group Tour Championship), so I want to clear that as a minimum, and there are still games left, so I'd like to win one if possible.
--Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.
--My golf game isn't that bad, and I just want my putt to go in, so I'm thinking about changing my putter a bit this week. Anyway, I'll switch my mindset and do my best.
◇Inami Mone
--What are your impressions of the American courses, which you've come to for the first time in a while?
--I think the courses themselves are difficult here. This week is particularly tricky, so there are some holes that are tough if you can't hit with a short club.
--What preparations have you made for this week?
Rather than focusing on this week, I feel like I need to improve my golf game, so I'm re-evaluating a lot of things.
What do you think will be the key points this week?
I think it's easier to aim for the green if you can hit from the fairway, but there are a lot of ponds that are easy to get into, so I'll need to be careful about that.
How do you feel about yourself now?
I think I'm slowly getting back to my good points. I feel like I'm heading in the right direction, but I still make mistakes, so I hope I can reduce those even a little.
Please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.
I really want to get through the qualifying round, but I think if I make that my goal, it won't work out, so I'll aim to get as high as possible and clear the qualifying round without any problems.
◇Yoshida Yuri
What do you think of this week's Arnold Palmer designed course?
The greens have some amazing undulations, and so far it seems a little long. There are many ponds and I lost a lot of balls during the practice round, so I want to manage them well.
What do you think will be the key points?
There is a pond in front of the 9th hole, but it's quite long and the green is wide, and the upper part at the back is very difficult. I hope I can get a par on that hole.
I think you can aim for (birdie) here and there on the par 5s, what do you think?
I think it's important to take the ball when you can, and be patient when you need to, and wait for your chance.
There are only a few matches left, so please tell us what you want to keep in mind and what your goals are.
I think it's really important to fight for four days, so I want to do all the preparations I can to be in good condition.
Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm.
The course this week is also very difficult, but that will be a plus for me right now, and I hope I can perform well.
*The Kroger Queen City Championship will be broadcast live every day on WOWOW Live. It will be broadcast on WOWOW Live from 2:00 AM on all four days from the first day (September 20th) to the final day (September 23rd). Footage from a "camera dedicated to Japanese athletes" closely following the Japanese athletes will be streamed live on WOWOW On Demand.
