Mao Saigo and 11 other Japanese players participate in the LPGA "CPKC Women's Open" and share their enthusiasm (Part 2)

The LPGA Women's Golf Tour's CPKC Women's Open kicked off on the evening of August 21st (Japan time) at Mississauga Golf & Country Club in Canada, and will be broadcasted and streamed live every day on WOWOW. Eleven Japanese players will be competing, including Akie Iwai, who won her first US Tour title at last week's The Standard Portland Classic, and Mao Saigo, who came in second place alone in last year's tournament. Just before the tournament kicked off, they spoke about their enthusiasm in an interview with WOWOW. The event will be broadcast in two parts.

◇Mao Saigo

--The climate is completely different from Japan, so how is the condition?

My physical condition is not bad, but my shots aren't the best, so I hope I can make some adjustments from tomorrow onwards.

-What preparations have you made for this match, or adjustments to the club, or anything else you have tried?

Since this was my first time on this course, I didn't know what it was like, so it was difficult to adjust to suit the tournament, but the course seems different to last year, so I would like to make sure I can adapt to it.

--It looks wet from yesterday's rain, but what's the condition like and what's your overall impression?

It rained quite a bit on Sunday, and the fairways and greens have been getting softer ever since, so although there are many long par 4s, the run is poor, so I have the impression that I have to use a fairly long club. Overall, the ball doesn't fly in this environment, so I think it's important to pay attention to the distance of the club.

--The rough around the green also seems to be getting thicker, what do you think the key points are?

I want to stay on the fairway as much as possible and land the ball firmly on the green. The entrance to the green is often uphill, so I'd like to aim for the center as much as possible and aim firmly for the pin on chance holes. There are also long sections of rough at the second point, so I'll need to be careful there.

--The tour is nearing the end, so please tell us if there is anything you are conscious of.

Of course, I would like to work hard and aim to win multiple times, and I would like to be able to play in as many games as possible in a way that I can be satisfied with.

◇Katsu Minami

--It's a long trip from Portland and there's a time difference, but how are you feeling?

I don't think I'm feeling too bad. But since coming to Canada, I haven't been able to do a lot of the things I wanted to do. This morning, I was planning to go see Niagara Falls, but I couldn't get up. I feel like I haven't been able to do much other than golf, but the golf course has a great environment for practice, and I've been able to practice a lot, so I think my jet lag is gradually getting better.

--You said you've been to Toronto before. Do you have any special memories?

It was almost 20 years ago, but I took this trip with my grandmother, who passed away 3 or 4 years ago, so I have a lot of memories. It was when I was in the second grade of elementary school, but I still have some memories of it. The first time I came to Toronto, there were a lot of squirrels in the maple trees in the park, and although I have an image of them being a little scary, I remember it being a really beautiful city.

--This course has a long history. What do you think of it after playing it?

The rough around the green is long, so it gives the impression that you don't want to play in it, but it's so beautiful that you wouldn't even notice the history. A local caddy told me that the course is about 150 years old, and I was surprised to learn that it has such a long history. However, the clubhouse and scenery still have that atmosphere, so I hope to enjoy playing a round here.

--There are 11 games left in the tournament. How do you feel looking back on the season so far?

In terms of points, I've earned a seed and am in a position to possibly play in the final tournament (CME Group Tour Championship), so overall I'm doing really well. I've met the bare minimum, but in terms of winning, I was just one step away from it, and at the Women's British Open I had a lot of close putts and couldn't win, so I think that's my current challenge. My shots are really good, or rather, I'm hitting the shots that would put me in the running for the win, so I think the challenge now is whether I can make those important putts when it counts.

--As we approach the end of the season, do you have any goals or things you want to do?

I really want to win. The Major is over, but there's still the Asia Series to come, and there are still plenty of games to play, so I hope I can win at least one of them.

◇ Hinako Shibuno

--It's a long trip from Portland and there's a time difference, how are you feeling?

I'm feeling fine. I only played half a round yesterday, but today I was able to play eight holes in a pro-am format, so I think I'll be in good physical condition.

--Last week you mentioned that controlling your tee shots was an issue, but how are you adjusting?

When it comes to the match, I do feel a bit nervous and put in a lot of effort, but I don't think practice is going too badly.

--This week's course is a historic one that represents Canada, but what was your impression after playing it?

The rough is quite sticky, so if the ball goes in I'll be a bit uncomfortable, and I think the greens will roll a bit better than last week, but the greens also have some undulations, so I'll need to be able to get the distance right.

--There are 11 races left this season. Please tell us if you have any goals or challenges you are working on until the end.

I've been thinking for a long time that I really can't afford to be eliminated from the qualifying rounds from here on out, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to participate in the Asia Series or the seeding either, so I want to earn points as much as I can, but as I said last week, I don't want to get impatient. So I want to stay calm and play my best.

-Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.

I want to fight hard over the four days and do my best to finish in a good position.

◇Yoshida Yuri

--You're finally in Canada. What are your first impressions?

It's cooler than I expected, or even cold, so I hope it will be sunny.

--The journey from Portland must have been quite long. How are you feeling and feeling your condition?

I'm traveling on Mondays so I don't practice, but even though there's a three-hour time difference, it feels really fast. I'm able to wake up because I'm going to bed early, but even if I wake up at 5, it still feels like 2am... I want to stop thinking like this soon (laughs).

-What are your impressions after playing this course?

Personally, I feel like it's a little long, and I tend to use a 6 iron or 5 utility club quite often, so maybe it feels long because it's wet underneath.

-How do you feel about your shots so far this week?

I'm trying to find what works best by gradually changing my sense and swing, but when I'm doing really well, it continues to be good, and my current challenge is to be able to recover quickly even when I'm having a bad time.

-Finally, please tell us your enthusiasm for this week.

I'm not sure what score I can get this week, so I think I need to increase the number of birdie chances I can get since the course is long, so I want to play golf in a way that allows me to endure and make birdie chances where I can.

*The CPKC Women's Open will be broadcast live every day on WOWOW. The first (August 21st) and second (22nd) days will be broadcast live and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 10pm, the third (23rd) will be broadcast live and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 5am, and the final day (24th) will be broadcast live and streamed on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand from 4am. WOWOW On Demand will also have a "camera dedicated to Japanese players" to stream live the play of Japanese players.