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All 9 Japanese tour members will participate! “Ford Championship” will be broadcast live every day on WOWOW & “Camera exclusively for Japanese players” will be broadcast live! All broadcasts and distribution are free on the first day!!
-Day 1 – 3/29 (Friday) 7:00 am ~ [WOWOW Live * Live broadcast every day & “Camera exclusively for Japanese players” live streaming on WOWOW On Demand! *On the first day, broadcasting, distribution, and cameras exclusively for Japanese players are free!
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[WOWOW LPGA program official site] https://www.wowow.co.jp/sports/lpga/ [WOWOW On Demand] https://wod.wowow.co.jp/genre/107
[WOWOW Official X & Instagram Account] @wowowgolf
This tournament was newly established this season, and the venue is located in the vast Sonoran Desert that extends into neighboring Mexico, offering a beautiful view of the Santan Mountains. This relatively new course, opened in 2000, has exposed brown grass typical of desert areas on both sides of the grass on each hole, and has bunkers and water hazards placed at strategic points, making it highly strategic. The Japanese teams to watch are Nasa Hataoka, Ayaka Furue, Yuka Sasao, Yuna Nishimura, Minami Katsu, Hinako Shibuno, Mao Saigo, Moen Inami, and Yuri Yoshida, all nine members of this season’s tour. WOWOW, which broadcasts the tournament live every day, conducted a preliminary interview. ■Nasa Hataoka
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Q. Please let us know if there are any adjustments you made between last week and this week. “During the shot, the ball was positioned a little closer to my right foot, too far inside, and the point of impact and bottom point were not stable.When I moved the ball a little closer to my left foot, I’ve gotten a lot better at swinging, so I hope I can keep that in mind this week.” Q. It’s been a while since Hataoka played Arizona, but it’s a new course. What are your impressions? The scenery is very beautiful, with blue skies and mountains visible from the course.” Q.The greens are large and have Bermuda grass, but how do you attack the course? I want to be able to swing the ball the way I want, and the green is big, so I hope to create opportunities by adjusting the distance vertically.” Q. You said you tried changing the position of the ball a little. , how are you feeling and how are you feeling this week? “I don’t think my condition is that bad, so I think it’s all about how well I can make good putts.” Q. Lastly, please share your enthusiasm. Masu. “It’s my first time on the course, but I’m expecting a low score, so I’m hoping to follow suit and improve day by day.” Ayaka Furue
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Q. Last week was very windy and tough conditions. Could you reflect on that? “It was a really tricky course, the grass was a little tricky, and the wind was strong, so it felt like I was able to experience a much more difficult course.”Q.It felt like a completely different course. But please tell me your impressions of this course after coming to Arizona. “The fairways look pretty wide this week as well, so there are some greens and spots, so I think it’s better than last week, but I think it’s going to be a battle for birdies, so I want to take advantage of that.”Q. It looks like it’s going to be a birdie battle, but what do you think will be the key point? “Although it’s wide, I’ll try my best to keep the fairway firmly and hit the ball well, and make good putts.”Q.I feel like the rough isn’t that great this week, how are you feeling about that? “I think it’s easier to play the parts that aren’t there, but everyone’s situation is the same, so I think I need to be careful about that and make sure I hit the ball properly and straight.”Q.Finally, looking forward to this week. Please show your enthusiasm. “I want to stay focused this week and do my best for the next four days so that I can aim for a higher rank again.” ■Yuka Sasao
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Q. You played some good golf last week in strong winds. Could you reflect on that? “It was a week where the weather was good and bad, but it was a good experience and I think it was good.” Q It will be a series of races, but how are you feeling and your condition? “It’s pretty good.” Q: The green is pretty big, but what do you feel is the key point? “If the wind wasn’t blowing, I think I would be able to get a good score. I think the wind would also improve my score, but since there are many par 5s that are within reach on the second shot, I think I need to improve my score.”Q Sasao Are there any holes that feel like key holes for players? “Nothing in particular. There are a lot of holes that are similar overall, so I think I’ll just have to hit the driver the same way, hit the green, then putter in.” Q is enthusiastic about this week. please. “I want to do my best to have an enjoyable week.” ■Yuna Nishimura
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Q. Last week was a tough one with strong winds. Can you look back on it? “The last day was especially tough, but the two people I was playing with had really good rounds, so I learned a lot. There were a lot of things I improved on, and of course I wanted to play better golf myself, but I think it was a fulfilling week.” Q. It was a refreshing atmosphere since it was Arizona. , what is your impression? “I didn’t have a very good impression of last year’s Drive-On, so I like the atmosphere of Arizona, but to be honest, I don’t really like the feel of the course or the greens (lol)” Q. What do you think? Is this likely to be the key point this week? “The distance is a little long and the fairway is quite wide and straight, so it’s not very tricky, so I honestly don’t think it’s the course for me. It’s going to be a stretch, and I have things I need to do, so I hope I can play solid, aggressive golf.” Q. You said you made some adjustments from last week to this week. How is it going? “I don’t think my overall golf condition is bad, and I’m making adjustments to the areas where my shots were shaky on Monday, but other areas like my putting are feeling really good and I’m continuing to make adjustments. Q. Lastly, please share your enthusiasm for this week. “I feel like the conditions are going to be a little tough for me, but I think I’ll have to focus on my own play and try to improve my score, but I want to do my best to keep up.”■Katsu Minami
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Q. Last week, you played some great golf in that strong wind and finished 4 under on the final day. Could you look back on that? “I thought it was going to be a difficult day of golf, so I just focused on my golf, believed in myself, and tried to enjoy it since it was the last day.The results led to a 4-under, which gave me confidence. It’s a different course than last week, so I’m going to switch it up and do my best.” It’s Q5 consecutive races, but how are you feeling and your condition? “I’m feeling great! I’m not feeling bad at all, and I played 18 holes in the practice round yesterday, and my swing is in good shape, so I’m looking forward to starting tomorrow.” Q: The course looks completely different compared to last week. What is your overall impression? “The course is quite wide and doesn’t seem to be that long, so I think if the wind isn’t blowing, I think it’s a course where you can get a pretty big score.” There seem to be many holes that are wide open from the Q teeing area. , I feel like Katsu’s flying distance can be utilized, but what do you think is the key point? “I just think it’s important to make birdies.Sometimes there are difficult holes, or even short holes, that are surrounded by water, or there are holes that are sucked into water due to the slope, so I like that. I’ll have to be careful about that.”Q Please share your enthusiasm for this week! “I played well on the last day of last week, which gave me confidence, so I hope I can have fun this week as well, focusing on my tenacity and getting birdies from last week.” ■ Hinako Shibuno
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Q. You are competing against California and Arizona in succession, how are you adjusting your golf and physical condition? “As far as my golf condition goes, I won’t know until I play, but I’d like to think it won’t be that bad.” Q.This is the first time for all of the players, and the contrast between the desert color and the greenery is very beautiful, but… What impression did you get when you went around it? “Unlike last week, it’s a very flat course, with not many ups and downs, and the greens look pretty big, so there isn’t much roughness, so I thought it was a course where I could get a big score.”Q .Are there any holes that particularly impressed you when you played them? How do you want to play again? “I don’t remember exactly which holes, but I feel like there were a lot of par 5 holes where you wanted to get a good party.There were also extremely long par 4s, so… I think it’s important to be able to make it through with a par, and I think it’s also important to be able to create good chances on the short par 4s.”Q.Last week the grass was Poana grass, and this week it was Bermuda grass. This changes, but how do you make adjustments like that? “I couldn’t really tell by looking at the grass, so I didn’t really think about that.” Q. Lastly, what are your aspirations for this week and what specific goals do you want to work towards? “If I can pass the qualifying round, I will have another goal, so I will do my best to compete for four days.” ■Mao Saigo
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Q. Last week was a pretty tough situation and you may have had some regrets. Could you look back on it? “Last week I was really disappointed, but this week I really changed my mindset.I think it will be very important to see how much I can adjust to this course in different conditions this week. So, I want to do my best this week as well.” Q. The atmosphere in Arizona is completely different this week, but what are your impressions of the course? “The course itself is very wide and the greens are big, but there are places where you can’t miss and you’re easily affected by the wind, so I think those are very difficult places, so the difficulty is different from last week. Q. The greens are large and will be covered with Bermuda grass this week, but what about adjustments in that area? “I practiced again today, and of course the grass quality is different, so I think the feel of the game will change even more, but I’ll do my best not to miss out on things like my sense of distance and the spacing around the green. Q. Unlike last week, it looks like it’s going to be a birdie battle this week, but which points are likely to be the key points? “The ideal situation would be to get in good shape heading into the weekend, but I would also like to improve my score in the preliminary round and play in a position that will allow me to enter the weekend in a good position.” Q.Finally, please share your enthusiasm for this week. “I want to do my best this week by playing in my own way while having fun.” ■ Moen Inami
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Q. Last week, I passed qualifying well even in tough conditions. Could you please reschedule? “It was a tough course with a lot of wind and rain, and a lot of elevation changes. I was talking to Minami Katsu on the final day and said, “It’s a challenging course with an atmosphere that you don’t find in Japan.” Q. You played golf that endured through the tricky course. Were there any areas that you wanted to adjust or anything you noticed? “One thing that I realized and challenged while playing last week was that in my short game, up until now I had only approached with a single 58-degree shot. After all, I really felt that it was a bit tough.So, I started practicing approaches with various numbers, and I am practicing with awareness and change, so I am having fun doing it.”Q.This week. Since it’s Arizona, I think the grass quality is different from last week, but what was your impression of this week’s course? “This is my first tournament course, and the greens aren’t much different from last week, but the texture of the grass around the greens and the rough is completely different, so I feel like I need to practice a lot and make adjustments in that area. ” Q. Are there any holes that you feel are key points? “There are about half of the long holes that even I can reach, so I think it’s important to make good birdies there.”Q. Lastly, please share your enthusiasm for this week. “This week as well, I would like to clear the preliminaries with a comfortable margin as my main goal.” ■Yuri Yoshida
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Q. You had a slightly disappointing result at the Far Hills Pak Seri Championship last week, but looking back, could you please let us know what you learned or what you felt were the challenges? “I think the biggest problem for me was that my shots didn’t go well and I wasn’t able to improve my short game, but this week’s course is completely different, so I thought I’d have to make adjustments there. Q: You mentioned the course. This is the first course for all the players, and I think the contrast between the desert and the grass is very beautiful. What was your impression after walking around it? “One thing is that the course is quite wide and doesn’t have any rough, so it’s completely different from last week.The greens have quite a grainy texture, so I hope I can read that well.”QThis week’s grass is Bermuda grass, and the grass is different every week. I’m trying, but how do you feel about this? “I think this is the most interesting part of the American tour, and even if you hit the ball you have in mind, there are many times when it will be affected, so there is something that can’t be helped, and I think everyone is like that. , I think it’s essential for me to be able to read even that part.” Q: Were there any other holes that left an impression on you? Please tell me the reason and how to attack. “Especially here, you often have to use a long club, and there are par 4s and par 3s that leave you with a length of 190 yards or so.Also, there are undulations on the green, so you have to narrow down your goals quite a bit. I don’t think I’ll be able to do it, so I hope I can attack that well.” Q: Please let us know what you are excited about this week and if you have any specific goals. “This week’s course is completely different from last week’s, so I really don’t know what’s going to happen, and I have no idea how fast I should go around it, so I just want to focus on doing my best. I think competing well for four days will help me gain experience points, so I want to do my best.” ◆◆◆◆◆ [WOWOW LPGA
Broadcasting/Distribution Schedule] ◆◆◆◆◆ “Ford Championship” ◆Broadcast schedule – 1st day – 3/29 (Fri) 7:00 a.m. – [WOWOW Live] – 2nd day – 3/30 (Sat) 7:00 a.m. [WOWOW Live] – 3rd day – 3/ 31st (Sunday) 7:00 am ~ [WOWOW Live] – Last day – April 1st (Monday) 7:00 am ~ [WOWOW Live] * Live broadcast every day & “Japanese player exclusive camera” live distribution on WOWOW On Demand ! *On the first day, broadcasting, distribution, and cameras exclusively for Japanese players are free! ◆Held course: Seville G & CC, Arizona, USA ◆Notable participants Nasa Hataoka, Ayaka Furue, Yuka Sasao, Mao Saigo, Yuna Nishimura, Yuri Yoshida, Moen Inami, Minami Katsu, Hinako Shibuno, Lilia Vu, Nelly Korda, Celine Boutier, Ying Ruoning, Minji Li, Charlie Hull, Lydia Ko, Kim Hyoju, Lin Shiyu, Brooke Henderson [WOWOW LPGA Program Official Site] https://www.wowow.co.jp/ sports/lpga/ [WOWOW On Demand] https://wod.wowow.co.jp/genre/107 [WOWOW Official X & Instagram Account] @wowowgolf
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