Furue Wins Major Title: Victory Shows Japan Female Golfers’ Strengths on World Stage

Editorial

14:59 JST, July 17, 2024

The brilliant come-from-behind victory was like watching a drama. Japanese female golfers have been on a remarkable rise in recent years. Japanese women’s golf can be said to have entered a golden age.

Japanese female golfer Ayaka Furue won the Amundi Evian Championship, her first major title. Furue is the fifth Japanese golfer to win a major title.

In the final holes of the last round of the championship, Furue sank long putts to snatch three consecutive birdies. She then eagled the last hole to take the victory. She should be heartily applauded for her great accomplishment.

The championship held a special significance for Furue as she had entered the 2021 edition of the Evian Championship after the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Furue finished 4th that year. This time, she was unable to qualify for the Paris Olympics, and she went into the competition with frustration in her heart.

Her tears and words after winning the championship reflected her true feelings. Furue said, “I was unable to go to the Paris [Olympics], but winning a major title in France helped me get over my feelings.”

Furue is a leading figure in the so-called platinum generation, a group of talented golfers born in fiscal 2000. At 1.53 meters tall, she is remarkably small even among the players competing in the LPGA tour, but she boasts consistent strength with her highly accurate shots and putts.

In an era in which physical strength dominates in the world of golf, in which players with well-built physiques prioritize distance in their shots, she is competing with her superior technique. Furue demonstrated that sports are not only about size. Her victory must have been a source of encouragement also to players in other sports who are not as physically blessed as others.

After Hisako Higuchi won the Women’s PGA Championship in 1977, Japanese golfers did not win a major title for more than 40 years. However, Hinako Shibuno won the Women’s British Open in 2019, and since then winners of major titles have suddenly followed one after another.

Female Japanese golfers, in particular, have made remarkable strides. A large number of female players who were inspired to play by former world No. 1 Ai Miyazato have been improving through friendly rivalries with each other. This situation is likely the reason for the positive results.

Two-time U.S. Women’s Open winner Yuka Saso and Miyu Yamashita, who tied for second in this year’s Women’s PGA Championship, will be competing at the Paris Olympics. It is hoped that the Japanese female golfers will fully demonstrate their abilities.

In addition to judo and wrestling, which are considered to be Japan’s forte, there are high expectations for Olympic medals from female athletes in events such as the javelin throw, fencing and table tennis.

The Paris Olympics will open on July 26. It will be a summer in which people cannot take their eyes off of athletes’ performances.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 17, 2024)