Reika Usui, who won her first championship, had “signs of winning” and “rekindled dreams.

Hinako Shibuno, Sakura Ogoshi, Minami Katsu, Erika Hara, Nasa Hataoka… The “Golden Generation” born in 1998 that leads the world of women’s golf has given birth to another heroine. Reika Usui (25) won the AXA Ladies Golf Tournament in MIYAZAKI in late March for the first time on the tour. She was the 14th player among her peers to reach the top of the leaderboard, and a late bloomer.

On April 13, I visited a one-day in-store event for the fashion brand “Cherkassy,” which she designed, held at “Yokohama SOGO”. Her younger sister, Ranyo (21), who is scheduled to take the professional test, was the store manager and supported the sales wearing a red dress with see-through legs and a champion blazer. She contributed to sales by taking a commemorative photo with a replica trophy in her hand with customers as a bonus for purchasing products.

Although he was behind his peers who had already won the championship, the first signs of victory had begun at the beginning of the year.

I hadn’t had a hole-in-one in 10 years, but suddenly I had two. I was thinking,“Something is different this year. I was on a good trend,” he said.

It wasn’t just a “good trend. Before this season, he had been working out to improve his physical condition, gaining 4 kg and losing 1.5% of his body fat percentage.

I didn’t want to put my hard work on social media. I only wanted to put my sparkling face on social media…because of the way I look! There were a lot of anti-golfers…”

Like other female professional golfers, Usui’s heart was broken as she spent her days aiming for victory, but when she didn’t win, she was met with heartless words.

Stop looking so unsportsmanlike!
You haven’t trained enough.

Seeing such critical words, Usui said, “I’m not a character who trains. Maybe that’s not what they’re looking for,” and she didn’t dare post them on SNS. But recently, about three weeks after winning the championship, she realized, “I wonder if the number of anti-tournament people decreased after I won.

On the surface, the words were the same “heartless” words, but the words of a “younger sister” with whom she had engaged in friendly competition touched her heart. When I won my first championship, I received a congratulatory phone call from across the ocean via my smartphone.

What are you doing?

The caller was Mone Inami, 24, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics who is currently competing on the U.S. Women’s Golf Tour. On the other end of the phone screen, her best friend was wiping away tears all the way in the moving car. It may seem like a joke, but the two have a special relationship, like sisters or relatives.

The best compliment in Moe Ning’s own way. （She said, “That’s the best compliment I’ve ever heard from Moenei. I think it’ s cute that she’s not being honest,” she said, crying as she received their blessing. Inami is one year her junior at Nihon Wellness Sports University.

Monei is my junior, but I am the one being taken care of,” she said.

During the approach practice in the practice round, Usui was taught the medalist’s techniques, “When I couldn’t do what he taught me, he would say, ‘Listen to me! Really! (When she doesn’t do as she’s taught), she gets mad at me,” he laughs. She also talked about the U.S. Tour, where her younger siblings also took up the challenge.

I played in the World Juniors when I was in sixth grade, and I thought that in the future I would like to play overseas, too. But when I became a professional, I realized that I would have to do very well to get there.

It was a dream he had almost given up on.

I didn’t enter the U.S. qualifying rounds because of re-ranking, but I would like to challenge myself in overseas tournaments. I don’t want to play in all of them, but I want to experience the atmosphere of playing with the players around me (Japanese players who are active overseas) and overseas players, even if it is just one match.

This victory has rekindled a childhood dream.

◆Reika Usui, 25, was born on December 7, 1998. Born in Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture. Graduated from Japan Wellness Sports University. Belongs to Free. 10 years from the age of 3, she studied ballet, voice lessons, jazz dance, and musicals to become a Takarazienne. Influenced by her grandfather, she started playing golf at the age of 9 and passed the professional test in ’18. She is a member of the JLPGA 90’s flower class, the same age as Mone Inami, Hinako Shibuno, and Erika Hara, and is also a member of the golden generation born in 1998. She is also a member of the golden generation born in 1998. She is 158 cm tall and weighs 51 kg. Her nickname is “Reichieru.