| | | | | 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
Brendan Jones
 |
Australian golfer Brendan Jones' victory
in the Sun Chlorella Classic on August 10 should not have
come as any great surprise. Jones has won before on the JGTO
tour and has been a steady performer during his nearly three
years in Japan. But in a quirky and individual game such as
golf, things don't always go as expected.
So, after Jones finished the Sun Chlorella at 8-under, at
the time well behind leader Daisuke Maruyama, his only thoughts
were on Monday's flight back home to Australia. Then
officials rushed in to tell him he was in a playoff after
Maruyama bogeyed the final hole. One playoff hole later, Jones
was ¥26 million richer.
"I was very surprised to win," Jones admitted.
"I hit my first shot of the day out of bounds and three-putted
for a bogey on the third hole, so I thought I had no chance."
Four birdies over the last six holes took him to the top of
the leaderboard, and a solid birdie on the first playoff hole
gave him the title.
Although he doesn't live here, Jones likes playing
in Japan and harbors no great ambitions to move on to Europe
or the United States-unlike fellow Australian Andre
Stolz, who won the Token Homemate Cup in April and quickly
headed east to play on the Nationwide Tour in the US.
"I'm happy playing in Japan," Jones says.
"I like the people here and I like the tournaments.
Andre's a pretty hot-tempered guy and I don't
think he had the patience to live here. I've got a
bit of a temper as well, but I just enjoy being in Japan."
Jones' next challenge will be the Japan Match Play
Championship (September 4-7) in Hokkaido and the Suntory Open
(September 11-14) in Chiba. Following his Sun Chlorella victory,
he opted for three weeks back in Oz, where he'll no
doubt be down at the range hitting balls and practicing putts
to fine-tune his game for the important tournaments coming
up at the end of the Japanese season.
"Er, no, actually. I don't practice too much
at home," says Jones, whose victory took him to fifth
on the JGTO money list. "It's very cold in Canberra,
so usually I just go out on Wednesdays and play with a group
of mates. When you've been playing golf for two-thirds
of your life, you know your game and your swing, and if you
have a problem you can work it out yourself. I'd rather
just go out and play."
Golf, he maintains, is more about confidence, and a good performance
can have a greater effect on your game than a thousand fungoes
down at the range.
"Last year, I was also in a playoff at the Sun Chlorella,
and that got my season going," he says. He went on
to win his first Japanese title at the Phillip Morris Championship
in October. He's now looking forward to the Match Play
Championship and some of the big autumn tournaments that often
feature famous players from Europe and the US.
"I used to love playing match play in Australia. I
was very good at match play as an amateur. Tournaments such
as the New South Wales and Australian amateur championships
were match play, and I won both of those. This will be my
first match play tournament as a pro, but you don't
forget how to play it; it's just like jumping on a
bike."
As for facing the big names, Jones remains unfazed. "It's
nice to see world-class players in Japan. I played with the
likes of K.J. Choi, Charles Howell and Justin Rose last year,
and it's good to see these guys up close. I don't
think my game is so different from theirs and I like the challenge.
It's my job; I'm a professional. I think I'm
a good player and it's nice to go out and show people
what I can do."
The Japan Match Play Championship
will be shown on TV Asahi. For details on the Suntory Open,
see listings.
Photo courtesy of Ozama Inc.
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