| | | | | GAME
PLAN | | Holy salkow, Batman, Miki’s back! Yes, Japan’s very own Babe on Ice, Miki Ando, roared back to form in the opening event of the Grand Prix figure skating series, not only winning October’s Skate America competition in Connecticut, but overshadowing younger teen star Mao Asada, everybody’s current tip for greatness. Ando, of course, was panned after finishing a disappointing 15th at the Turin Olympics, but she’s lost a bit of chunkiness and taken her skating to a higher level; maybe now she will start to fulfill her promise. Next up on the calendar is the NHK Trophy from November 30 to December 3 in Nagano. Japan’s women skaters are hot right now. Catch them while you can. FV See sports listings for details.
| By
Fred Varcoe
Samantha Head and Nikki Campbell
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If you think coming to Tokyo to live is a hassle, try doing
what Nikki Campbell and Samantha Head did: Joining the Japan
LPGA Tour knowing virtually nothing about the country. OK,
so they had a little bit of help, but it takes some guts to
navigate the Japanese countryside-and find Japanese
golf courses-with little more than charm to guide you.
"Everyone in England thought I was very brave to come
here on my own," Head, 30, said in a recent interview
with Metropolis. So why would two nice young women do something
as daft as moving to Japan when they've got nice golf
courses, food and weather to tempt them back home (Australia
for Campbell, England and Spain for Head)?
"I looked at it that if I wanted to play a lot of golf,
I've got to play in America or Japan," Head
says. "I tried to qualify for the US but failed. Then
I found out that, because of my ranking in Europe, I could
jump into the final round of qualifying automatically in Japan."
So, on the recommendation of former JLPGA Tour member Jennifer
Sevil, Head flew over to try and make the top 35 qualifiers
out of 180 golfers. She finished top, waved goodbye to her
boyfriend, Spanish golfer Ignacio Garrido, and flew to Japan.
Campbell's route was slightly different. After an impressive
career as an amateur in Australia, she decided to turn pro
last year, but was less inclined to play in faraway Europe
or the US. "My dad always wanted me to play in Japan
because he'd heard it was a good tour and the money
was good," Campbell, 23, says. "On top of that,
it's close to Australia and I can keep traveling back
to see my coach, Gary Barter."
It helped, of course, that she knew the Japanese ambassador
in Canberra (through the Royal Canberra Golf Club). Mr Ambassador
put a few wheels in motion, put Campbell in touch with a few
people who were willing to help her out, and smoothed her
way onto the tour (she qualified together with Head).
The difference between the two is that Head is older, has
won twice on the European Tour, and has considerably more
experience. Despite the assistance she's had in getting
here, Campbell seems less comfortable in her surroundings,
and it was no coincidence that her best performance came when
a caddy friend from Australia was on her bag for the Shin
Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ladies Classic, where she finished
tied for fifth. (It was probably no coincidence either that
one of her worst performances came a couple of weeks later
when her boyfriend was on the bag.) Head, meanwhile, has been
playing steady golf for most of the year and is around No.
25 in the money rankings.
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| Nikki Campbell lines
up a putt |
It's not an easy lifestyle for the two women, and
they make frequent trips back home, but both now enjoy life
on the road in Japan and are planning to stay here next year.
"When I first came over here, I didn't know
how I would last," admits Head, who has a twin sister,
Johanna, who also golfs. "But since then, I've
taken many trains and can get by now, and I even enjoy things
not being easy; it kind of makes it all worthwhile. In the
end, the lifestyle in Japan is easy if you know a little Japanese
and know where to go. I can get a bullet train anywhere now,
public transport is fantastic, and you can send your bags
all around the country."
Campbell's connections have proved useful in smoothing
her way around Japan, but both women admit it's been
a big boost having the other one on tour. "I don't
know how I would have done it without Nikki," Head
says, while Campbell, seven years Head's junior, obviously
needed a bit of moral support earlier on. "I've
been bored, lonely and fed up, and I got a bit homesick at
the start of the year because the lifestyle's so different
from home and it was my first time to live overseas,"
Campbell recalls. "It's really good having Sam
here as a friend and as a pro. It's been good to be
with someone who's played professional golf for a long
time. She knows a lot, practices hard and takes good care
of herself."
Head, who is featured on the websites www.headtwins.com
and www.samhead.com,
also let slip that she wouldn't mind having an apartment
in Roppongi. At the moment, they both play three or four weeks
on the Tour and then return home for a week or two. Heading
into crunch time and the heavy season-ending schedule, however,
they'll be playing fairly intensive golf until December.
Both have shown improvement over the season, and it shouldn't
take too long for them to be raising a trophy or two.
The next big date for the pair is
the Japan Women's Open (October 2-5) at Chiba Country
Club. See listings for details.
Photos by Fred Varcoe
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