Rising Rookies Spotlighted Amid Fierce Competition at Salonpas Cup Women’s Tour

“Now I’ve become the oldest.”

The domestic women’s golf tour “World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup” was held from May 8 to 11 at the Ibaraki Golf Club East Course in Tsukubamirai City, Ibaraki Prefecture (6,675 yards, par 72). In the final round, Ji-yeon Shin and Saiki Fujita tied at 7 under par, leading to a playoff. Shin secured her first win of the season and her 29th career victory with a superb birdie on the first playoff hole, hitting her third shot to within 50 centimeters left of the pin.

Past winners include young rising stars such as Hinako Shibuno (20 years old in 2019), Yuna Nishimura (20 in 2021), and Heesun Lee (15 last year). Shin, at 37, set the record as the oldest champion in the tournament’s history. In her victory speech, she humorously said, “This year marks my 20th anniversary as a pro. Twenty years ago, I was aiming for the youngest record, but now I’ve become the oldest. I’ve been managing my body and doing my best,” which drew laughter from the audience.

This season is exciting for domestic women’s golf. With top players like Reo Takeda and the Iwai sisters moving their main battles to the U.S. tour, the domestic tour has hollowed out, sparking fierce competition among players for winning chances.

The tournament also spotlighted rookies supporting the event operation. A “Rookie Camp,” targeting last year’s final professional test passers, was held. Started in 1996 as part of rookie training, this on-site workshop lets rookies live and work together during the tournament to learn firsthand how many people support a tournament. Over two days, rookies experienced roles like carrying the scoreboards of their assigned groups, running alongside players to measure driving distances, and confirming ball positions as forecaddies.

Among them was Kanako Aoki, who won her first pro victory at the “Daio Shipping Ladies Open,” a domestic lower-tier tour, in April. On the first day, she wore a helmet at the second shot point on hole 9 and ran around measuring the driving distances with a device. On the second day, she carried the scoreboard and walked all 18 holes with fellow rookie Hinano Mutsuguruma.

Feelings toward fellow rookies participating in the main tournament

After completing the two-day training, Aoki said, “My gratitude toward the volunteers has grown even more. I truly felt over these two days how much support they provide behind the scenes, beyond just the scorers.” On the second day, Hinano Mutsukuruma, who also handled the carrying board with Aoki, said, “The rough areas were quite difficult to walk through. I realized how hard the volunteers’ work really is, and I thought I should always properly greet and thank them.” Both expressed their appreciation. Aoki also talked about experiencing difficulties that players usually don’t understand during this camp.

“The time they have to be there — the players just come according to their own start times, but the volunteers arrive about two hours before the top start. I really felt that the long hours they are tied up for is something players don’t usually notice.”

That day, their wake-up time was “4 a.m. I was up earlier than the players. It was like during a suspension (suspended round),” she said with a smile, sharing this rare experience. However, other rookies like Reina Miyako, Yuna Araki, and Sayaka Teraoka, who have qualified to compete, were playing in the main tournament. It seemed she also felt some frustration.

“Since Reina Miyako is also up near the top, there are many parts where I feel really frustrated. But I take it positively that my fellow rookies are doing well, and it motivates me to work harder,” said Aoki.

 

The reason for the good results is giving up yakiniku (grilled meat)

Reika Miyako finished the tournament tied for 8th place with a total score of 2 under par by birdying the 18th hole on the final day. This marked her first top-10 finish since turning professional, in her fourth regular tour event of the season, causing a significant rise in her Mercedes Ranking. As of the provisional re-ranking update on May 11, she is expected to be 9th. This virtually secures her a spot in the first re-ranking after the June Nichirei Ladies tournament.

Miyako attributes her good performance to careful diet management during the tournament.

“When I consulted my trainer, I was told to eat at Yayoi-ken because of its balanced nutrition. I did that, but since I still wanted meat, I chose stir-fried meat and vegetables, so I did consume some, but honestly, I really want to eat meat.”

She restrained her craving for yakiniku (grilled meat) throughout the period. When she passed the cut on the second day, she said there might be a reward for herself depending on her final result.

“I really want to eat meat now. I have a favorite yakiniku restaurant, so I want to go there. Please write that I want to take my coach and my dad there! Depending on my results, I might still end up at Yayoi-ken though (laughs).”

Later, in an interview, Miyako said she postponed her meat reward because she was set to compete in the CTBC Ladies Open in Taiwan starting May 15.

“This week is Taiwan, so I’ll go after I come back,” she said, heading off to her overseas tournament while looking forward to yakiniku after returning home.

The competition between veterans and rookies in women’s golf is becoming more exciting and not to be missed.