Nine Japanese players including Yuri Yoshida will compete in the Scottish Women's Open. They talk about their enthusiasm in an interview (Part 2)

The ISPS Handa Scottish Women's Open of the LPGA Tour will be held on July 24th at Dundonald Links in Scotland, and will be broadcast live every day on WOWOW. Nine Japanese players will be participating, including Ayaka Furue, who won her first LPGA Tour title in her rookie year in the 2022 tournament, as well as Reo Takeda, Miyu Yamashita, Akie Iwai, Chirei Iwai, Hinako Shibuno, Minami Katsu, Yuri Yoshida, and Saki Baba. Ahead of the opening, Yoshida and others spoke about their enthusiasm in an interview with WOWOW. This will be delivered in two parts.

◇ Hinako Shibuno

--You had a week off. How did you spend it?

I didn't touch a golf club for three days, and I went to Switzerland, France, and near the mountains to refresh myself. I went to Wales (where the Women's British Open is held). The green was a little heavy, but the weather was great and there was no wind at the time, but it's next to the sea, so it would be dangerous if the wind blew. The ups and downs seemed a little tough.

--Do you take into consideration the wind direction, lowness, and height?

Yes, I think that's especially true when you're going against the wind, and if you're following through I think it's good to make good use of your leading edge as well.

--How have you been feeling and what your impressions have been since the start of this week?

I don't think it's good or bad, so I hope I can get a grasp on it.

--I heard that it's a little wetter than last year after the rain last week. How are the conditions?

I did think that the ball wasn't rolling as well as it should have, but the greens were really soft on Monday, but I think they're getting a little harder. Still, there are pitch marks, so I think the ball will stop better than usual.

--Next week will be your last major. How do you want to play this week?

I want to compete over four days at the British Open, and I want to compete over four days this week as well, so I'll do my best.

◇Yoshida Yuri

--You played some great golf at Evian last week. Can you reflect on that?

At Evian there were some good shots and some bad shots, but I think it was a week where I was able to put together a good score.

--After that you had a week off. How did you spend it?

I practiced in the morning and went sightseeing in the afternoon, and also played golf during breaks, so I feel like I had a good week.

--Please tell us what you've been working on this week.

It's a different feeling than when I did Evian, but the things we're doing are the same, so I don't know how it'll feel tomorrow, but I'd like to be able to get a good feel for it and make adjustments.

--What are your impressions of this links-style course?

It was not as hard as I thought it would be, and I imagined it would bounce and roll more, but since it's raining, it didn't seem to be that hard. However, I don't want to hit it into the bunker, so I'll be sure to be careful about that when playing.

--The final major is next week. How do you want to play this week?

I don't know what the course will be like at the British Women's Open, but I think I'll need to use a similar style but with a firmer putter. I will try to adjust that next week, and this week I hope to be able to adapt to the course.

◇Minami Katsu

-After the Evian tournament you played in Japan. How are you feeling?

I'm not feeling bad. I had jet lag in Japan too, so I thought maybe that was why I wasn't able to recover properly, but I'm feeling great now.

--You seem to know this course inside and out, but how do you feel now that you're back?

The conditions are different every year, and this year the greens and fairways are soft, so I'd like to adjust to that.

--It's a links course, what do you think is the most key point?

The wind is strong, the bunkers form walls around the green, and there are several bunkers on the course that you don't want to play in, so you'll want to be careful of the bunkers.

--The course seems a little wet, but does it feel like it's drying out day by day?

Yes, it was a little dry today so I think it will dry out if it doesn't rain.

--The Women's British Open is coming up. How do you want to play this week?

For now, I'd like to get over the jet lag and make sure I'm in good shape for next week so I can play good golf over the next four days.

◇ Saki Baba

--It's been a week since Evian, how have you been?

After finishing at Evian, I practiced on the course here.

What is your impression of the course?

When I first came here the greens were quite soft and the speed wasn't very good, and there was no wind, so I got the impression that it was a course where you could get a good score, but since the start of this week the wind has picked up and the greens are firmer and faster than at the beginning, so I'd like to learn how to read the wind properly.

--You said that you started practicing early, but what kind of preparations did you make?

At the Evian tournament I had quite a few issues with my shots, so I kept that in mind while practicing.

--This week's course is a links style, so the wind is likely to be a key factor. How do you plan to manage it?

There are quite a lot of pot bunkers, so I want to make sure I don't land my tee shot in them, and it looks like there's a lot of wind, so I'll have to make sure I get the distance right for my second shot.

--This is the week before the Women's British Open, so how do you want to play this week?

It's like golf in Scotland, a little different from usual, and the wind is strong, so I think that kind of golf is required. I'll do my best this week so that I can make full use of what I've practiced in the match.

*The ISPS Handa Scottish Women's Open will be broadcast live every day on WOWOW. The first (July 24th) and second (25th) days will be broadcast from 5:30pm, the third (26th) from 9pm, and the final day (27th) from 8pm. All will be broadcast and streamed live on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand. WOWOW On Demand will also have a "camera dedicated to Japanese players" to stream live footage of Japanese players' play. The "camera dedicated to Japanese players" on the first day will start at 9pm.