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At the Hitachi 3 Tours Championship, which concludes the 2023 tour season, there were expectations that the PGA team would win for the first time in four years, but the PGA team came in second, trailing the winning JLPGA team by 13 points. The PGA team showed her hard work, but Katsumi Kubo, the oldest participant in this tournament at 61 years old, showed off her presence by displaying veteran techniques throughout. Kubo was one of the members who contributed to the PGA team’s victory in the 2018 tournament, and she was secretly expected to play an active role again this year.

In order of seniority in life, Kubo was appointed as this year’s team leader. And he did his best as a mood maker for the team. Hiroaki Iijima (7th place in the prize money ranking) was originally announced as a member of the PGA team, but he was forced to withdraw due to back pain the day before the main tournament, and Yoshinobu Tsukada, who has won two senior championships this year, was suddenly substituted. I decided to participate in the event. Although there was an incident involving a change in members, Kubo renewed his resolve and was conscious of communicating with his teammates in order to show the best performance typical of a PGA team.

The 1st hole tee ground on the 1st stage surrounded by a large gallery. Kubo watched the start of Group 1 with excitement. It is an irregular competition in which six players play in a group, and the shot time for six players is calculated. For this reason, the starting time was given more time than usual, with 30 minutes between the first and third groups, but Kubo, who is playing in the final group, seems uneasy even after waiting. “Seniors are impatient, aren’t they? They want to start early, but it’s their turn. Yeah, if there’s still 30 minutes left, I guess I’ll practice driving. But next time, if I don’t make it on time and get called up, it’ll be embarrassing. “No,” he said nervously, his eyes shining. In front of the large crowd that can only be seen at 3 Tours, Kubo was able to fully enjoy the excitement of the tournament. And he faced the game desperately trying to get something out of it.

“After all, it’s a tournament that brings together top-notch top players from the JGTO and JLPGA.I thought it would be the meet rate, direction, and skill in tricks that stood out, but the flying distance was amazing.Power and speed. “I was blown away by the flying distance,” he said, also making a new discovery. “Girls like Sakurai-san and Koichi-san are also hitting great distances.Yamashita-san, who can’t hit long distances, is making full use of her utility skills.Her sense of distance, direction, and other small tricks are good. I was really surprised.” Kubo’s first 3 tours in five years were full of new discoveries. “Everyone has their own way of managing the course for those who can hit the distance, and those who don’t, and those who don’t can’t, and as expected of the top players in that area.It was a good learning experience.I learned a lot during this off-season. I received an assignment and practiced it, but I don’t know how well I can do it, but I will do my best so that I can come again next year,” he said, looking back on the fulfilling time and setting new goals.

Kubo finished the season with a strong result, scoring his second win as a senior at this year’s senior tour “Komatsu Open” and finishing 8th in the prize money rankings. In fact, Kubo has been doing remarkable things this year, winning the Kanto Grand Senior and Japan Grand Senior tournaments for people over 60 years old, in addition to the Senior Tour. This depends on how you live your life at the age of 61 and how you treat your body. “As my eyesight deteriorated, I was unable to do any green reading.I went to an ophthalmologist to find out about my condition and started vision correction.After turning 60, I also began to improve the quality of my sleep. My putting accuracy improved from there,” he said. This is the reason why Kubo, 61 years old, has been able to continue as a professional for so long.

“This year was the last time I was able to participate in the Hitachi 3 Tours, so it was a really good year. It’s a great reward for my golfing career. Every year, I play thinking that this is the last time I’ll be able to participate in the Senior Tour. However, I’ll be able to play on the senior tour again next year, and I’m just grateful to be able to play in such a big match as a reward for my hard work,” Kubo said with a big smile. Katsumi Kubo has shown her full potential as the face and leader of the PGA team. I’m sure she will entertain the tour with her even more powerful appearance next season.