Minami Kiyomoto, a high school student and professional golfer　

Repeated trial and error to find the best way to win

Active female high school student pro golfer　Minami Kiyomoto　(Kiyomoto Minami)

■ Profile
Influenced by her father, she began playing golf at the age of six. In 2018, she won the National Junior High School Golf Championship Spring Tournament. In 2021, she placed 18th to win the low amateur title at the Hisako Higuchi Mitsubishi Electric Ladies Tournament. She passed the professional test in 2011 with the highest score.
My favorite golfer and idol is Tiger Woods.
She is 153cm tall and her favorite club is the 8 iron, and her strong putting skills are her forte.

Minami Kiyomoto, a high school student who passed the professional golf test with the highest score in 2023, is a promising athlete with a bright future. She initially started golf as a hobby, but before she knew it, she began to take it seriously and turned into a professional golfer. We spoke to Kiyomoto about the appeal of golf and her experiences so far.

I've tried a variety of sports up until now, but golf was the one I was able to stick with the most. For example, when I was in kindergarten, I had dance lessons every Friday, but I didn't really enjoy it and only continued for about two years. I first encountered golf when I was about six years old. It all started at a competition held by my father's company. I attended as a chaperone, but it was my first experience of golf. Since then, I started going golfing with my father, but at the time I had no desire to become a professional, and I just played golf as if I was going to the park to have fun (laughs).
However, when I was in the third grade of elementary school, I started to seriously aim to become a professional golfer. Since then, by playing golf every day, I felt more and more that "golf is all I have," and I think that's how I became more serious about my practice.
Now, even if I am not able to perform as well as I would like in a match, I continue to play golf, enjoying the atmosphere, doing my best from start to finish, and making sure to enjoy it to the fullest.

■I am where I am today thanks to the full support of my family

There was one time, toward the end of my second year of high school, when I seriously considered quitting golf. I'd never felt this way before, but I suddenly became afraid of hitting the tee shot, the first shot of a round. The fear of not being able to move forward made me seriously think, "I can't do this." I told my father, "I'm not confident I can overcome this." He replied, "Don't be afraid of failure. The important thing is to keep trying. It may not be easy right away, but let's overcome it together as a family." I felt his support up until then, and it cleared away the frustration I'd been feeling. However, it was precisely because of that experience that I thought, "If I'm going to quit anyway, I might as well just take the pro test. And if I do, I'll do it seriously." I re-energized myself and worked hard at practice.
Even now, my whole family supports me and my life revolves around golf, so I often feel like I have to work hard. I also think that the joy and happiness I feel when I win a match motivates me to take golf seriously.

■Technical ability and analytical ability are important

Since I decided to aim to become a professional golfer, I started training and thinking about course management. I'm conscious not only of technique but also of how to strategize my approach, such as the depth of the grass, my own physical condition, and the distance calculated backwards from the pin.
Also, prepare for when you make a mistake and think of several ways to respond so that you can continue without panicking even if you make a mistake. As a result, you will make fewer mistakes that you will regret, and even if you make a mistake, you will have a strategy so you can continue the game without panicking.
As a personal challenge, I often end up lowering my score because I focus too much on what is in front of me, so I am making it a habit to watch various people play, listen to what my seniors have to say, and think about and analyze what makes me different from others.
When it came time for the 2023 pro test, I focused on practicing my form so that I could transfer my power to the ball. As a result, I passed the pro test at the top of 690 people. I think I was able to play with confidence and composure even in a unique atmosphere. I have a habit of comparing myself to others, but perhaps it was a good thing that I didn't look around and just kept working hard until the end without giving up.
My father also helps me a lot. He doesn't play golf, but he loves playing golf and watching golf, and he's always eager to teach me what he's learned from playing and watching golf. He doesn't actually play golf, so he doesn't know, so he sometimes asks for things that are difficult for me to understand, but he has no preconceived notions, so he can make suggestions, and I think being able to take on those challenges helps me improve my skills.

■Refreshing helps me work hard

Balancing high school life with golf is very difficult. I go to school in the morning, study all day, and then do some light practice when I get home. Then, after dinner, I go to the driving range every day and devote myself to golf practice. I go to training about three times a week, focusing on strengthening my core and weights. Although my life revolves around golf, on the weekends I go to theme parks with friends, have fun, and collect my favorite cosmetics and skincare products. These activities refresh me and make me feel like, "Okay, let's work hard at golf."

■What I think is the appeal of golf

There are several attractions to golf, but one of the biggest is being able to interact with a variety of people. Thanks to golf, I've made many friends all over the country. Some of my friends I only see at national tournaments, but we encourage each other to go national together, and we work hard at golf while competing against each other.
Also, because golf is an individual sport, it's fun to analyze your own strategy for the course. I think the rewarding feeling when you see improvement through repeated trial and error, or when you make strategic moves, is what makes it so appealing.
In the future, I want to become a star golfer like Tiger Woods, not only in terms of golf skills and technique, but also as a person with great character.

■Message to university students

I'm grateful to the people who support me every day. I often receive messages via Instagram DMs and other means, and I realize that it's thanks to them that I'm able to keep working hard. I want to keep this feeling in mind as I work hard towards my goal of winning a gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

<Comment from his father, Munetake Kiyomoto>

I often watch overseas tournaments, and I think the appeal of golf is that the spectators and players come together to create excitement and excitement, and the excitement is inspiring. My daughter is very strong-willed, and it's clear that she uses her frustrations as motivation to keep working hard. That is her strength and her charm. I hope that in the future, my daughter will become someone who can attract and inspire the spectators.

Student Newspaper Online February 14, 2024 Interview by Kyoritsu Women's Junior College 2nd year student Reina Inomoto

Musashino University 4th year students Nishiyama Ryusei / Kiyomoto Munetake / Kyoritsu Women's Junior College 2nd year students Inomoto Reina / Kiyomoto Minami / Sophia University Junior College 2nd year students Ohno Shiori