The Mayer LPGA Classic, a pre-major tournament for the LPGA Women's Golf Tour, kicked off on June 12th (Japan time) at Brizefield Country Club in Michigan. WOWOW will be broadcasting the tournament live every day starting early on the 13th. Eleven Japanese players, including Takeda Reo, Furue Ayaka, and Shibuno Hinako, will be taking part in the major tournament the following week, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. WOWOW, which will be broadcasting and streaming the tournament, interviewed Shibuno, Katsu Minami, Yoshida Yuri, Nishimura Yuna, and Baba Saki ahead of the tournament's opening to hear their enthusiasm.
The tournament has been held on the same course since it was added to the tour in 2014. This long-established course, which opened in 1929, has good visibility on each hole and relatively wide fairways, so players are expected to keep attacking aggressively until the end. In addition, there are many holes with hard elevated greens and sloping greens from the front to the back, so the key is to make sure you can make it into regulation.
◇ Hinako Shibuno
--What are your impressions of returning to this course this week?
It's a beautiful course. I think this every year, but I have to work hard because I imagine it's a race to improve the distance.
--After playing practice rounds this week, do you feel like you've really improved?
But the rough is still really difficult, and the greens tend to bounce a lot, so calculations like that are hard, and the wind is strong too.
--What do you think are the key points this week in getting a good score?
If you don't make sure to get the ball on par, it will be extremely difficult if you miss the green, so I hope you can get the ball on the green with a good shot.
--How are you doing yourself?
I don't think it's bad, so I think it's just going to be like a normal game."
--This week is the week before the major. How do you want to play?
I think it's important to go through the qualifying rounds and then compete over four days, so I'll do my best to aim high.
◇Minami Katsu
How does the course feel?
The rough is a little hard, making it difficult to hit, and the greens seem to be getting harder every day, so I think I need to be careful about the distance of the bounce and where I land the ball.
--You've got a string of games in a row, how are you feeling and feeling well?
My condition is neither good nor bad, just average. Today, I played in the pro-am and there were good things and bad things, so I would like to fix them little by little.
--You practiced right after the round, but what do you feel will be the key points this week?
I'd like to land the ball on the fairway, and since it's a course where players have to stretch out, and the long holes are short so I can aim for a two-on, I'd like to focus on good course management, especially on the long holes, so that I can get eagles and birdies.
--I imagine that the clubs you use change depending on the wind direction. How do you feel about that?
When I hit the ball thinking that I'm following it, the wind may be circling it at the bottom and I may not reach the target, or I may even go over, so I think it can be quite difficult, so I want to try not to worry about that and just take it one shot at a time, and endure as I play the round.
--This is the game before the majors. How do you want to play this week?
I want to keep the momentum going, so qualifying is a must, and I want to finish under par over all four days so I can carry that momentum into next week.
◇Yoshida Yuri
--Why not try this week's course first?
I got the impression that it was difficult after all, with some greens being big and some being small and with quite a bit of undulation, so I'm hoping I can get the ball onto the green on my second shot.
--The rough is pretty thick and the wind is strong today, so what do you think are the key points?
The wind is strong and the course isn't that wide, so I'd like to hit the ball from the fairway if possible.
--There are five par 5 courses. Is that a plus?
That's true, but I think there's a little bit of pressure to take them, but I'd like to stay calm and take the par 5s.
--You're in good form coming into this week, but how is your shot going?
It's getting better and it's getting worse, and I'm still not perfect, but I'm able to do it more often, and even with things that I thought were good, I start to think that I could do them a little better this way or that way, so I'm still in the process of trial and error, but I guess I'm just waiting for something that works to click into place.
--It's the week before the major. How do you want to play this week?
I want to have a good week in preparation for next week, and I'd like to play as many rounds as possible now and find a good ball for myself.
◇ Yuuna Nishimura
--What are your impressions coming back to this course this week?
It's a course I quite like, I really like the beautiful atmosphere, and I also really like the supermarket in this area.
--Did you go shopping?
Yes, I go there all the time so I was looking forward to it. The players get something like a gift card so I went.
--Now that you've had some refreshment, how is your physical condition and your shots going?
I'm fine with my physical condition, but I'm still a bit worried about my shots. Last week, I was swinging well on the first day, but on the second day, I made a mistake and got scared and couldn't swing, so I think I still have a long way to go.
--This is a tournament that turns into a birdie battle every year, but what do you think are the key points for coming up in the rankings on this course?
I have the impression that I can aim for the par 5s quite well, and I can aim for the first half as well, and I also feel like I have a chance on the last 18th hole if I can get on the fairway, so I think the key is to make sure I get the ball in those spots.
--It's one week before the major. How do you want to fight?
I want to go to the majors in good shape, and I think it would be good to be able to play on slightly tighter fairways like this before the majors, so I would like to be able to make a good swing there.
◇ Saki Baba
What is your impression of the course?
There are a lot of doglegs (courses where the hole curves to the left or right partway through), the fairways don't seem that wide, and the greens are quite small, so I want to keep the ball on the fairway as much as possible and avoid hitting it into bad spots around the green.
What do you think of the course conditions?
The grass is beautiful and the fairways are clean, so it feels great to play on the course.
--Last year this course became a battle to improve (the distance), but what do you think will be the key point?
The rough feels quite heavy, so I want to make sure I get my tee shot on the fairway. Because the green is small, even if the pin position is shifted, there are holes where you have a chance if you get it in the center of the green, so I think it's better to create a safe chance than to attack the pin and have it go somewhere strange around the green.
--This is a preliminary match for the majors. How do you want to fight?
I want to be able to improve the shots I've been working on in matches, so I think that if I can do that, I'll get better, both in preparation for the major and for the matches after that, so I'd like to continue doing that this week.
*WOWOW will broadcast the Mayer LPGA Classic live every day. The first day (June 13th) will be broadcast live on WOWOW Live from 4am, the second day (14th) and the third day (15th) from 4am each day, and the final day (16th) from 2am. In addition, WOWOW On Demand will broadcast a live "Japanese Players Only Camera" that focuses on Japanese players (the first day will be broadcast from 9:25pm on the 12th).
