A junior golf competition hosted by Japanese golf legend Shigeki Maruyama (56), who won 13 games on the Japanese and U.S. tours, was held at Ranjan Country Club in Saitama Prefecture on the 25th. The competition is famous for free of all expenses, including participation fees and golf course fees.
This year marks the 32nd edition of the championship, which started in 2010. A number of former participants were the Iwai sisters (Akae and Sisago) and Mao, who are currently active in the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour, and Keita Nakajima and Hisatsuneyo, who will take responsibility for the future of Japanese golf. "I wanted to create a stage where young players can compete," Maruyama told Japan's Golf Shuffle on Tuesday. "Under the pressure and tension that can only be experienced in real competitions, we can grow into a professional player."
In the professional test, which is an important process to become a professional golfer, people often fail to display their skills due to tension. "No matter how good you perform in a round, it's meaningless if you don't do well in an actual competition," Maruyama said. "Junior players who aim to become professional need a real competition." 먹튀검증
What makes the tournament so special is that it has no cost at all. Maruyama affirms that he will never change the principle of free golf. This is partly due to the financial difficulties and uncomfortable gaze he experienced when he was young. "I am most happy when parents tell my children to 'get out of the Maruyama tournament because it doesn't cost money,'" Maruyama said. "I hope they can enjoy golf as much as they want without financial burden." The running expenses of the tournament are covered by sponsoring companies secured by Maruyama and his management company. "We look forward to seeing more junior competitions with similar intentions, taking our event as an example," Maruyama said.
Maruyama was able to use his eligibility for this year's JGTO Tour, which is ranked within 25th in total prize money, but he gave up his qualification on the grounds that he did not want to deprive young players of opportunities to participate. Having led Hideki Matsuyama to win the bronze medal as the coach of the Japanese national golf team at the Paris Olympics last year, Maruyama said, "I will continue to focus on nurturing junior golfers in the golfing world." Maruyama won the PGA Tour championship once each in 2001, 2002 and 2003. His best record at a major tournament was tied for fourth place at the 2004 U.S. Open.