EDITORIAL | Ayaka Furue Wins Evian Championship as Pride Flies High

Ayaka Furue shed tears of joy as she watched a parachutist carrying a fluttering Hinomaru (Rising Sun flag) descend from the French sky. She embraced the national flag as the national anthem "Kimigayo" played. Then, after being asked about her feelings as a tournament winner, Furue kissed the trophy she had just been given.

That was probably the moment when she truly realized she had won her first major golf tournament. 

Amundi Evian Competition

The 24-year-old brilliantly came from behind to win the Amundi Evian Championship at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, eastern France, on July 14. 

She took the lead by sinking a series of impressive long putts and then clinched the win with an eagle on the 18th hole. The match and the victory ceremony were both beautiful and very moving. 

Foreign media also focused on the 153-centimeter-tall Furue, marveling that such a diminutive lady golfer could be tearing up the course. The truth, however, is that Furue, who is currently competing on the US-based LPGA Tour, is not an unknown quantity. 

Furue is No 1 in birdies (237) and scoring average (69.89) in the 2024 LPGA Tour season.

Although she might not be able to hit the ball as far as some of her competitors, her technical precision and competitive spirit have allowed her to win top prizes. 

Comparing Japan's Sports Giants

The feeling is a bit different with Shohei Ohtani, who is 193 cm tall, and Rui Hachimura, who is 203 cm tall. Both have physiques that are not at all inferior to athletes from other countries in Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association, respectively. Moreover, they have proven their excellence with their fine play.

For the 2024-25 NBA campaign, however, 172-cm guard Yuki Kawamura, a standout guard in Japan's B.League in past seasons, will be aiming to land a spot on the roster of the Memphis Grizzlies. Therefore, even shorter people can make their marks in sports and they should take courage from Furue's sensational win.

Actually, until recently, no Japanese woman had managed to win a major overseas golf tournament for a long period. Not since Hisako Higuchi won the LPGA Championship in 1977. 

That drought ended in 2019 when Hinako Shibuno won the Women's British Open. Then in June 2024, Yuka Saso became the second Japanese woman to do so in this era when she triumphed in the US Women's Open. (She had won the same tournament in 2021 while competing as a citizen of the Philippines where her mother hails from). That just goes to show how once someone opens the door, others are sure to follow.

The Determination to 'Never Give Up'

Furue missed earning a slot on the 2021 Japanese national team sent to the Tokyo Olympics, having come in third that year (based on the rankings). She had hoped to represent Japan at the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024 but again missed the cut.

But Furue's determination not to give up was amply demonstrated by her winning a major in France, the host country for the Olympics. 

Waiting to embrace and congratulate Furue at the 18th green was Miyuu Yamashita, who placed second in this year's US Women's Open. She had earned a place on Japan's national team for the Paris Olympics by overtaking Furue in the rankings. (Saso will also represent Japan.)

Yamashita is even shorter than Furue at 150 centimeters. Here, too, we have another giant who though short of stature, bestrides the world of golf like a colossus. 

The Summer Olympics open on Friday, July 26, in Paris. That the Hinomaru flag has already been flying in French skies is perhaps an auspicious omen for how Japan will do at the Olympics. 

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(Read the editorial in Japanese.)

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun