＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
On August 4, 2019, Hinako Shibuno (20), one of the “Golden Generation” of young female golfers, won the Women’s British Open Golf. She is the second Japanese to win an overseas major through both men and women, and the first in 42 years since Hisako Higuchi won the U.S. Women’s Professional Championship in 1977.
１．About Hinako Shibuno
Hinako Shibuno was born on November 15, 1998 in Okayama City. She is a graduate of Okayama Municipal Heijima Elementary School, Okayama Municipal Kamimichi Junior High School, and Okayama Prefectural Sakuyo High School. Her father Satoru, 51, an employee of Okayama City, was an athlete of the University of Tsukuba’s track and field team in the shot put and discus throw. Her mother, Nobuko (51), a gymnastics instructor in her hometown, was a javelin thrower one year her junior at the same university. She is the second of three sisters.
A female professional golfer of the “Golden Generation” (born between April 1998 and March 1999), she started playing golf and softball at the age of eight.
In the Okayama Prefecture Junior Golf Championships (elementary school division), he placed third for three consecutive years, starting in the fourth grade. When she entered junior high school, she joined the softball team, but continued to practice golf at the same time. in her second year, the coach of the baseball team advised her to concentrate on golf, saying, “It is better to play golf only. The reason for the coach’s advice was that in her first year, she had won the Okayama Prefecture Junior Golf Championships (junior high school girls’ division). She then went on to win the championship in her second and third years as well.
With this record, she entered Okayama Sakuyo High School, a strong local school, and promptly won the “Chugoku Girls’ Amateur” in her first year. She also contributed to the team championship of the “National High School Championship.
By the way, her personality is that of a competitive person, and until her high school days, she showed her joy, anger, sadness, and joy on the golf course. When she missed a putt, for example, she would get all upset. However, a comment from her father at that time, “It’s not very pleasant to watch,” was a turning point for her.
Her father’s words stuck with her, and from then on she made an effort to always play with a bright smile, which has now become second nature to her.
She had considered getting a job at the front desk of a golf course, but the golf team coach said, “If you don’t take the pro test, who will?” and so he took the professional test in his senior year of high school in 2017. However, I failed the first protest. After this setback, I passed the second protest in 2018.
In her first year as an actual professional, she won her first domestic major in 2019, the World Ladies Salonpas Cup, and won her second at the Shiseido Anessa Ladies. This is her third win, but being an overseas major, the prize money is a hefty approximately 72 million yen, and she has also won the right to become an LPGA member. She belongs to “RSK Sanyo Broadcasting” and wears their logo on her cap.
２．Good points of Hinako Shibuno
(1) Never stops smiling
Hinako Shibuno has an impressive smile, and her grandfather named her “Hinako” in the hope that she would grow up to be as bright as a sunflower facing the sun.
Brain science also says that smiling increases motivation and happiness through the “release of dopamine.
Overseas media have given her the nickname “Smile Cinderella,” which is very apt. Some professional golfers tend to sulk or take out their frustration on their equipment when their shots don’t go well, which is not a pleasant sight to see.
There is nothing wrong with those who play aloof or with a nonchalant poker face, but it is nice to see a constant smile on their faces.
By the way, she was eating a snack on the course with an interesting name: “タラタラしてんじゃねーよ(Don’t be lazy )”. The curling women’s “もぐもぐタイム(Time to eat sweets)” was also a hot topic, and this candy may become popular again after her victory.
（２）Being fearless.
Once, when Ryo Ishikawa was winning at a breakneck pace, Masashi Ozaki once described him as a “fearless kid.
Since this is only his second year in the world of professional golf, he is still unaware of various “fears,” and this may have been a blessing in disguise for him to win this overseas major.
（３）She hates to lose.
She hates to lose, which I think is especially important for athletes. I am glad to see that she does not become overly self-conscious or nervous, but calmly checks the scoreboard to see where she stands.
３．Will she be the savior of the Japanese women’s professional golf scene in the future?
In recent years, the women’s professional golf world has been dominated by Korean players, but this year the winds seem to have changed a bit, with the “golden generation” of 20-year-old players playing a prominent role. Veteran Japanese players also seem to have finally regained their energy.
After all, this is the Japanese golf tour, so it is only natural that we want to see Japanese players in action.
The U.S. Women’s Tour has been dominated by Korean players, TV ratings have dropped, sponsors and spectators are leaving, the number of matches has decreased, Korean players are entering the Japanese Tour in droves, and Korean players are winning more often than not on a weekly basis.
Until recently, I did not watch golf broadcasts on TV, but recently I finally started watching again as more and more Japanese players are winning.
I hope that Hinako Shibuno will continue to show the momentum from her Women’s British Open golf victory on the Japanese Tour. If she continues at this pace, I think it is not a dream that she will become the savior of the Japanese women’s professional golf world as a central player of the “Golden Generation”.
However, there is an example of a senior men’s golfer, Koki Idoki (two-time winner in Japan), who won the U.S. Senior PGA Championship in his first overseas challenge, so I hope that this will not end up as a mere “fluke.
I hope that she will continue to play golf in a relaxed manner, without being too conscious of the medal of “Women’s British Open Golf Winner” and without feeling the nickname “Smile Cinderella” as a burden.
