"Friday Fore-cast" prepares you for golf's major tours heading into the weekend. PGA Professional Brendon Elliott, a three-decade industry veteran, provides his insights for RG. In this installment, Hana Wakimoto shines with opening round 63 in Japan; recap of DP World Tour “Back 9”.
Impressive Start: Hana Wakimoto Shines in Round One of LPGA's Toto Japan Classic
JLPGA member Hana Wakimoto had an impressive start in her first round of the LPGA's Toto Japan Classic. Held at the Seta Golf Course, Wakimoto shot a 9-under par 63, giving her a two-shot cushion over Jin Young Ko and three over five additional players.
The 27-year-old Japanese professional carded nine birdies and only needed 24 putts on the day. Her performance included a chip-in birdie on the 9th hole, much to the delight of the gallery. In shooting 63, Wakimoto has set a high bar right out of the gate. The round was a career-best performance for her and tied the course record on the 6610-yard Seta layout.
Wakimoto felt good coming into the week, and she talked about that after the round.
"Recently, my ball striking has been very good, so I have been confident, and I could attack the pins today," she shared.
An impressive start is crucial, but maintaining momentum will be key in the upcoming rounds. As is always the case in professional golf, the real challenge after a great start is holding onto that lead in subsequent rounds.
Jin Young Ko, the 9th-ranked golfer in the world, hit all but two fairways in round one and only missed three greens, getting up and down for par on each. Her 7-under par 65 was her lowest score of the year, and she was delighted with her performance, as she shared after the round with reporters.
"I can't just pick one part of good things. Yeah, everything was good. I play solid. I hit it good, like from the tee to the green, so I made a lot of putts today."
Ko, a 15-time winner on the LPGA Tour, will still be a formidable challenger to Wakimoto as the week progresses despite having yet to win in 2024.
With this week's event being played in Japan, round two will be well underway when this article posts. Looking into early action as this article is written, Hana Wakimoto is picking up where she left off in round one with back-to-back birdies on her first two holes, jumping to 11-under.
Highlights of the DP World Tour's 'Back 9' Series
Many interesting and exciting storylines transpired during the DP World Tour's recent "Back 9," its final nine-week regular-season stretch in the 2024 Race to Dubai. This was vividly evident during the Acciona Open de España, where Angel Hidalgo overcame Jon Rahm in a gripping play-off, underscoring the spirit of an underdog triumph.
The series commenced with Niklas Nørgaard making his mark at the Betfred British Masters with a breakthrough win. Matt Wallace then claimed victory at the Omega European Masters after facing some personal challenges leading up to that event. 23-year-old Rasmus Højgaard, with his win at the Amgen Irish Open, became the youngest DP World Tour player in 30 years to post five career wins; you'd have to go back to 1989 when Spanish legend José María Olazábal did the same.
Rory McIlroy experienced near misses, notably at the BMW PGA Championship, where Billy Horschel emerged victorious. Similarly, Tyrrell Hatton and Nicolas Colsaerts provided gripping moments at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, with Hatton securing his third DP World Tour title on the hollowed grounds of the Old Course at St. Andrews.
While winning will always take top billing among storylines, players like Ricardo Gouveia and Nicolai Højgaard, who made significant leaps in the Race to Dubai Rankings, are also worth mentioning. On the flip side are heartbreaking stories, like that of journeyman Eddie Pepperell, who must make a trip back to Qualifying School.
With all its storylines, the journey through the "Back 9" series has paved the way to the upcoming DP World Tour playoffs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. When the DP World Tour returns to action on November 7th at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi, UAE, many more storylines will be added to what has been an exciting 2024 season. The year will culminate on November 14 at the DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth Course in Dubai, UAE.
