The Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, a US women's golf LPGA Tour event, will kick off on September 28 (Japan time) at Pinnacle CC in Arkansas, USA, and will be broadcast live every day on WOWOW. Ai Miyazato won in 2012, and Nasa Hataoka won in 2018 and 2021, making it known as a tournament that suits Japanese players. Eight Japanese players will be competing in this tournament: Nasa Hataoka, Yuka Sasao, Mao Saigo, Hinako Shibuno, Yuna Nishimura, Minami Katsu, Mone Inami, and Yuri Yoshida. They spoke of their enthusiasm ahead of the tournament.
◇Nasa Hataoka
--I think this is a completely different type of course from last week, but first of all, can you look back on last week?
Last week, the greens were quite hard, and there were various changes throughout the week, so I think I wasn't able to respond well to those changes. Also, I had a hard time making putts.
----You've won twice this week on this course, but what are your impressions now that you're back here?
This year, the fairways and greens are much softer than usual. Especially on par-3 tee shots, the ball sinks so the iron hits the top of the ball, and it's hard to get the vertical distance right, that's my impression after practicing for the past few days.
--How do your shots feel from last week to this week?
I've made some adjustments to my shots, and I think I've been hooking them to the left less and less. However, I think it's easier to hit fades if I swing a little more to the left, so I'd like to continue to be able to hit both.
--How do you feel about the greens?
The greens are heavy, aren't they? It's bent grass, so it's fairly easy to imagine, but now I just need to get the speed right.
--This is the tournament before the Asia Series, so how do you want to finish this tournament?
It seems like every year the three-day tournament is a battle of the players to improve, so I hope to keep up with that, get some good results before the Asia Series, and be confident in the few remaining matches.
◇Sasao Yuka
--Last week you finished well in the top ranks. Can you look back on that?
It was my first time at this golf course, but I think I was able to adjust well, so I think it was a good memory.
--This week is a three-day tournament. What are your impressions of playing on the course?
The course itself hasn't changed much, but the weather wasn't good, so it feels a lot wetter than last year.
--With your driving distances, I don't think you'll use a driver much on this course, but how do you plan to attack it?
Yes, depending on the wind there are many holes where you can't use a driver, so even in that situation, you'll do well. I think it'll be the same attacking style as before, so I hope to make good use of that experience.
--I think you've been in good form since last week, but how do you feel about your shots?
I think it's okay. The grass is different this week and last week, so the feel of the shots will be a little different, so I'll make sure to adjust and do my best to get used to the grass this week.
--This is the tournament before the Asian Series, so please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.
--This is a tournament I look forward to every year, and there's also the Asian Series, so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and hope to be able to play my own style of golf in the last few tournaments of the year.
◇Mao Saigo
--I think the course is completely different from last week, but can you look back on last week?
I didn't get the score I wanted, so I wish I could have fought for a higher position.
--This week is a three-day tournament, and this time the course is a battle of the odds, but what are your impressions?
Not only is the course set up, but it's also quite gentle on the bottom and the grass is long. I played today, and it was easy to go up slowly, and the greens were easy to stop on, so I got the impression that it was very easy to improve my score.
ーーHow are your shots going this week?
Last week, my condition improved as we got closer to the final day, so I don't feel like my condition has deteriorated too much since the start of this week, so I think I'll be in better condition than I was on the first day of last week.
ーーThis is the match before the Asian tournament. How do you want to compete this week?
After all, it's a three-day tournament, so I need to keep up with the other players' progress and minimize my mistakes as much as possible, so I'll do my best to get off to a good start on the first day.
ーーI have the impression that you were actively conversing with the foreign players in English during the round.
Little by little, I'm getting better at communicating with them, just about golf, than I was at the beginning. I'm still not very good at it, but they are communicating with me little by little, so I'm doing my best to respond to that.
◇Shibuno Hinako
ーーI think it's completely different from last week, but how do you feel about coming back here again?
The grass is a bit mushy, so I don't have a very good impression.
ーーI have the impression that every year, players improve their game on this course and the scores are low. What do you think about that?
I really think you have to be aggressive from the first day, and it's only three days, so I want to be aggressive.
ーーHow do you feel about your shots since coming here?
I've been practicing a lot, but I don't have a bad impression of it, so I think it's just a matter of how you feel during the match.
ーーIn terms of attacking, I don't think it's all a driver hole, so how do you manage that?
I think it would be good to be flexible and adapt depending on the wind.
ーーThis is the match before the Asian tournament, so how do you want to play in this three-day tournament?
I don't think you've made it through the qualifying rounds until now, and you were eliminated last year, so I want to do my best to compete well for all three days.
◇Nishimura Yuna
ーーLast year, you had a great fight to win on this course, so how do you feel about coming back?
I played a practice round the day before yesterday, feeling like a year had gone by quickly, and I think the course has a good image for me.
--During the practice round, did you get a feel for the course again?
Yes, I pretty much remembered the golf from the final day, and there are quite a few holes where I can use an iron, so in that sense I think it will be easy to play.
--How do you feel about your shots and the green?
I haven't been able to hit any good shots, so it's hard to say, but my putting is feeling good, and rather than trying to make complicated shots and miss, I think it will be a matter of simply attacking the pin and making good birdie putts, so I hope I can get my shots together in that regard.
--This will be the match before we go to the Asia Series, so how do you want to play this week?
After all, I want to enter the Asia Series in good shape, and I've been in a really bad streak, so I want to break that bad streak by playing on a course that I think will be easy to play on.
--Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm.
It's going to be a tough battle to improve over the three days, so I hope I can do my best to aim for 60 or more every day.
◇Katsu Minami
--I think the course is completely different from last week, but first, can you look back on last week?
I felt like I had a lot of trouble with my tee shots, and on the 9th hole, the target area was narrow and the ball flew too far into the rough. There are also holes this week where I can't use a driver, so I'll try to keep it on the fairway and, since the greens are soft this time, I'll be able to keep attacking.
--How are you feeling?
I feel like I'm getting better in the second half, and I have a habit of going too high with my center of gravity, so I'll try to keep my center of gravity lower.
--The players are saying that the grass is softer than last year, so how do you feel about that?
I think it was soft last year too, but with wedges and the like, the spin is too effective, so I'll try to make some adjustments in that area.
ーーWhat do you think is the key to joining the top ranks this week?
I think it's important to make sure you get the birdies you can. Especially on the long holes, there are some holes where you can get on in two, so I'll make sure to get the ball on the green and two-putt, as I talked with (caddie) Johnny about. If I can do that well, I think I can get a good place.
ーーThis is the match before the Asian tournament, so what do you want to focus on this week?
Well, I want to get a higher place, and I'm in good enough form to win, so I'll do my best to get as many birdies as possible and get into the fight for the championship.
◇Inami Mone
ーーLast week was your first US tour in a while, so how do you feel looking back on it?
I felt like I was playing really good golf up until halfway through, but then I couldn't complete it on some holes that I didn't feel were good and I made some mistakes, and then my flow got a little off... That's a shame, but I think it was great that I was able to play some good golf.
How are you feeling this week?
Yesterday I wasn't very good, so I hope I can fix that today.
This week is a three-day tournament, and every year we try to improve our scores, so what do you think will be the key points?
Looking at the scores from last year's matches, I didn't get the sense that I would do very well. But I was playing practice rounds with foreign players, and I hardly ever needed a driver, and even on long holes, after I hit a driver I would use a wedge for the second shot, so of course I'd get a good score... (laughs). I think the difference in distance is amazing. If you can hit the ball farther, you don't even notice the narrowness of the tee shot, so I think that's a big factor.
--This week you're teaming up with Pete (caddie Peter Godfrey). How is it going?
I can't speak English at all, but the atmosphere and golf jargon makes it fun, and because he's so kind, he speaks to me in easy-to-understand English. I'm learning a lot, and the atmosphere is different from usual, so it's fun.
--So, please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.
I'll do my best to complete all three days.
◇Yoshida Yuri
--This week is a three-day tournament, and the course is completely different from last week, so what are your impressions?
It feels really wet, but I think the grass and greens are quite typical of Japan.
--Because of the wet conditions, I think it'll be a battle of stretches again this year, what do you think?
I really think that's true, and I'm wondering how far I can stretch and explode.
--What do you think are the key points to getting a birdie?
Yes, there are some really short holes and some where you're forced to use a fairly long club, but I think spin control is really important on short holes, so I'd like to be able to reduce mistakes like when I use a lot of backspin.
--How are your shots going?
I think I'm getting better, but when it comes to making a score, there are still some areas where I don't quite get it right. I'm getting a clearer idea of how I would like to hit the ball, so I hope I can put that into practice.
--Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.
We only have three days, so I want to play golf with the mindset of getting a big score every day, and I've had a lot of trouble putting recently, so I'd like to be able to improve there.
*...WOWOW will be broadcasting the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship live every day. The matches will be broadcast live on WOWOW from 5:30 a.m. Japan time on the first day (September 28th), and from 3 a.m. on the second (29th) and third (30th). WOWOW On Demand will broadcast live footage of Japanese players using a "camera dedicated to Japanese players."
