The Japan Women's Open, which determines Japan's best women's golf, opened in Chiba Prefecture, and Saki Baba, a 17-year-old high school sophomore who won the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship last month, started in 22nd place with one over.
This year's Japan Women's Open will be held at the Murasaki Country Club Sumire Course in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture for four days from the 29th, and the longest course in the history of the tour, 6839 yards, will compete for the best in Japan.
Baba, a 17-year-old amateur, played in the first round in the same group as 24-year-old Katsuminami, who won the tournament last year, and 20-year-old Mao Saigo, who has won five domestic tour titles this season. rice field.
Before the start, Baba received an award on the first tee to commemorate winning the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship for the first time in 37 years as a Japanese player.
In the first half, Baba took advantage of her characteristic driver to keep the fairway at the 7th par 5, and on the 3rd shot, she landed about 2 meters near the pin and took her first birdie of the day.
In the second half, at the par 4 14th hole, I had to bogey the first shot of the day due to the impact of going into the rough for the first time.
Of the 120 players who participated on the 29th, only 8 were under par, and while many players were struggling with difficult course settings, Baba finished 1 over 22nd with 1 birdie and 2 bogeys. We got off to a decent start.
Katsu was 9th in even par, and Saigo was 53rd in 3 overs.
After the first round, Haruka Morita is leading at 5 under par, and Sakura Koiwai is in second place by one shot.
Saki Baba "I was nervous and was shaking quite a bit until the first two or three holes."
Saki Baba, who finished the first round of her first domestic major, said, "To be honest, I was really nervous, and I was shaking quite a bit until the first two or three holes. After that, I was able to play golf at my own pace. There were many galleries and I was able to enjoy the atmosphere of the tour competition.”