3% pass rate! Women’s Golf Final Protest “Day 4 of Destiny” – Star Eggs’ “Sweat and Tears of Survival

Four Days of Destiny

There are two kinds of tears in the final women’s golf protest. One is tears of joy that she was able to become the professional she had dreamed of after holding a club since she was a child, and the other is tears of despair that her efforts were not rewarded in the form of a “pass.

Every year, the pass rate for the professional test is just over 3%. This year, 695 players participated, of which 105 remained for the final test, which is held over four days. The line for passing the test was a tie for 20th place. On the last day of the test…

Hinano Muguruma, 22, an elite amateur who spent her high school years as a member of the national team, was standing on the borderline at 3 over on the 18th hole. If she could make par on the final hole, she would pass the tournament at her fifth attempt. However, Rokuguruma hit a bogey.

At that moment, I thought, ‘It’s over, I’ve wasted another year.

Fate was on Rokuguruma’s side. Her low score brought her down to the borderline at 4-over, and Rokuguruma holed out in a tie for 19th place, still within the passing range. After waiting nervously for the final group to be confirmed, Rokuguruma choked up when she appeared in front of the press.

I wonder if I should cry. ……’When I failed the first professional test in 2008, I was afraid to swing a club. It was tough from there until I could hit the ball normally. I almost lost my nerve many times, but I am so glad I kept going.”

During the pro test, family members and coaches other than the players are not allowed to enter the clubhouse, let alone the course at the Oarai Golf Club (Ibaraki Prefecture), the venue of the test. After finishing in a tie for seventh place, Kokoro Nakamura, 19, was the first to run out of the clubhouse and jump on her mother waiting in the parking lot. Last year, she won the Japan Junior Championship and was the low amateur at the Japan Women’s Open, a major women’s tournament. However, she failed to pass the professional test in the fall. It was during those four days that Tsuneyuki Nakajima, her mentor, encouraged her.

My parents and my high school advisor were there,” he said. They were so happy, I was crying the whole time.

Nakamura shot a big “66” on the third day to move up to fifth place, and entered the final day with six shots to the leaderboard.

I had a little bit of time to spare, but I was so nervous that my body didn’t move at all. Last year, I was frustrated to see other players of the same age become professionals. However, because I was not accepted, I was able to participate in the Augusta Women’s Amateur this April. It was not all bad by any means.”

The name written on the board held by the successful applicants is “COCORO,” not “KOKORO. She is particular about the fact that it is not “KOKORO.

KOKORO would look like a knockout, wouldn’t it? (Laughs.) I’d really like to have that on my passport, but since I made it when I was five years old, they won’t let me change it.

The 19-year-old is expected to make a big leap forward.

It is not all smiles outside the clubhouse. Rina Matsuyama, 19, a student at Waseda University, was in a tenuous position at 4-over after the third day and was just one stroke short of the pass line after another low score on the final day. She sat on a bench by the entrance, her body trembling. The atmosphere was not very approachable, and all I could do was watch her calm down.

The featured song was by Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi.

Also, Nana Hidari (18), who was in the lead until the third day despite being only 18 years old, hit a 6-over on the final day. After being rejected, she was about to leave the clubhouse with her fellow players, who also had red eyes. When I approached her at the door, she looked a little miffed for a moment and said, “I was under a lot of pressure towards the end.

I felt a lot of pressure towards the end. …… I’m just going to do my best to make sure I get in next year.

Shoka Furuya, 24, holed out at 4-over and left the clubhouse at one point, mistakenly believing she had been eliminated. When she returned in a hurry after being accepted, she broke down and said, “I really feel like I came from hell to heaven,” and her tears of frustration were soon replaced by tears of joy. Kanako Aoki (24), who was waiting in the clubhouse with the same score as Furuya, must have felt the same way. She already boasts 45,000 followers on Instagram, but will she be able to live up to her popularity on the professional stage? And Suzu Yoshida (Rin) (20), the younger sister of Yuri Yoshida, who competes on the U.S. Tour, was able to give her sister the report she has been waiting for with a tie for 19th place. Yoshida said, “I don’t have to take the pro test anymore.

I feel relieved that I don’t have to take the professional test anymore. I want to be a part of making the golf world and the women’s tour more exciting.

Yoshida was so happy that she could not sleep at all that night.

Last year, Minami Kiyomoto, a junior at Aichi’s Homare High School, was the top passing student at the professional test, and the golf world was excited to see the birth of a new heroine. This year’s top finisher was Shayaka Teraoka, 22, who took the test for the third time.

Two years ago, I had a lost ball on the 7th hole, but I was able to reassure myself that life is long and things like this can happen,” she said. From now on, I want to become a pro so that elementary and junior high school students will mention my name as a player they admire.”

After Teraoka, Reika Miyako, 20, who won a lower tour event as an amateur this past April, was in a tie for second place.

This is my fourth time here, and I’m already a veteran. I’m not nervous.

On the way to Oarai Golf Club, the venue of the final test, he played his favorite song, “Shabondama” by Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi.

My father told me, ‘This is your entrance song. I think it helped my good score a little. I want to become not only a good golfer but also a strong professional golfer.

Unlike the men’s competition, the world of women’s golf is a vibrant one with 26 players who finished in a tie for 19th place this year. However, they have only been certified as professionals and have not yet qualified for the tour. The real survival race is yet to begin.

From the November 22/29, 2024 issue of FRIDAY