Daughters Dawned On Land Of Rising Sun Years Ago

The Age

Wednesday January 30, 2008

Peter Thomson

A clear calendar allows the women to emulate their Japanese counterparts, Peter Thomson writes.

A FRIEND from Japan tells me that in his country, women's golf, when shown on television, outrates the men's tour by four to one. I take that with a pinch of salt.

The figure might be exaggerated somewhat but the balance, whatever it is, favours the ladies. Glamour, you say? Whatever the attraction, it indicates that the men had better smarten up or lose their sponsors.

The Japanese (men's) tour has been going since 1962, when eight events were scheduled during summer. Now there are 30.

A sprinkling of Australians contributed at the time, but Japanese golfers quickly created their own heroes.

"Jumbo" Ozaki, a potential baseball star, turned to golf and created a new national fervour. There emerged more sponsors than could be fitted into the playable months.

Golf at its grassroots boomed. Courses were built up and down the nation. At one point, the Dunlop company was making 13,000 dozen golf balls a week.

Ozaki, however, aged and nobody stepped up to take his place. A few, such as Shigeki Murayama, twinkled for a period, but the light went out.

No one emerged to take over from the former star, and neither Ozaki nor any other Japanese golfer could make an impression abroad.

The men's tour was gradually ignored. Meanwhile, women's professional golf climbed steadily.

Perhaps modern technology, with its more lively ball and helpful clubs, helped push this along, but it seems that the women had personality that the men lacked or didn't show.

Gifted young players from next-door neighbour South Korea established themselves on the Japanese scene.

It wasn't so much a case of the men sinking as much as the women rising. Now it seems irreversible.

The same transformation is unlikely to come here, but the players at Kingston Heath this week have a great chance to steal a march on the men. They have a popular venue to themselves. Judging by past events, a big crowd can be expected.

Cricket and tennis will not intrude on their time, so ratings should be good. It will be interesting to see if they can outrate the men.

© 2008 The Age

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