Suto Miroku, the Eleven Year Old Grand Slam Golfer
I'm not a golfer, but I hear about golf from many of my students who are. Because of my golfer students, I read this story when I saw it on Nippon.com. It sounded a bit like Tiger Woods, I think.
Suto Miroku began playing golf when she was one and a half years old, and practiced with the goal of winnng "the four big titles" of the junior golf world. (I didn't even know there was such a thing.) She won the 2017 and 2018 World Junior Champoinships, the 2019 Malaysia World Championship, and the 2021 Kids World Championship. In June she won the US Kids Golf European Championship. She turned 11 years old in August.
Her family's educational philosophy is different than most Japanese families. She attends a public elementary school in her hometwon of Ota, Gunma for half of the week and spends the rest of the week golfing near her family's second home in Hitachiomiya, Ibaraki at her training base, the Golf 5 Country Sunny Field Golf Course. Her father, Ken'ichi, a former University of Tokyo professor and Buddihist scholar, says she practices six to ten hours each day while in Ibaraki and he provides her schooling there. Her father, who has no competitive golf experience, has read over 1,000 golf manuals in order to teach Miroku. In addition, the family employs other coaches. Yokomine Yoshiro, father and former coach of 23 time Japan women's champion Yokomine Sakura became Miroku's coach, beginning in August 2022.
In January 2022, the rules for amateur status changed, lifting sponsorship restrictions. Miroku already has twelve sponsorship deals with a major golfing goods retailer, Nitori furniture dealer, a confectionery maker, abacus school Ishido, a car dealer, Surf Beverage, a home constructor, a tire dealership, Rakuten, a securities business, and a welfare association. In addition, she has a 20-year agreement paying her one million yen a year to wear socks made by legwear manufacturer Captain Yu.
I don't know what I think about this. She obviously has talent and seems to want to do this. On the other hand it seems like a difficult schedule for a child of only 11 years old. I wonder if she has friends, or goes to sleep overs and amusement parks. I'm not criticizing, just wondering.
5 comments:
I have questions too, that is a hard schedule for such a young person. It sounds like her parents are wealthy to afford the expense of golf tours and tournaments, of course now her sponsorships are bringing in money. I hope she is enjoying life and congratulations on her skill and winning.
I don't play golf. But Miroku knows. I've been on TV since I was little.
She always says,“I am a child of the golf gods.”
I didn't know her father's occupation or daily life.
She seems to be playing voluntarily with the support of her family.
But she has the right to receive compulsory education, so I want her to study hard and play golf.
I worry about kids with that kind of schedule. They aren't really getting real life but a very sheltered, structured view. I admire the talent -- but I worry.
She is the one who has to do the practice and compete .. so if her parents are prepared to help her reach her goal Good for them. She does get to go to school for part of the week. She has the rest of her life to decide what to do and it seems her family will support and help her x Each to their own x
She's really impressive! Just like you, though, I wonder, and hope she actually enjoys doing this.
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