With No Press From Press, Okamoto Retains the Lead by 1 in LPGA Tournament

The news out of Bernardo Heights Country Club and Augusta National Golf Club has Manabu Watanabe of the Tokyo Sports Press chuckling.

You see, Watanabe is the only Japanese reporter covering the LPGA’s Kyocera Inamori golf tournament here. Thirty Japanese reporters and photographers--many of whom were in Palm Springs for the Dinah Shore tournament last week--are in Augusta, Ga., covering the Masters this week.

The Masters is always a very big story in Japan, but when the newspapers are published today, the top sports story undoubtedly will come out of Bernardo Heights.

Ayako Okamoto--who in Japan is the top women’s golfer and a national favorite--shot a two-under par 70 Friday, for a two-day total of eight-under 136, and retained her one-stroke lead. She is followed by Dinah Shore winner Betsy King (67) and Pat Bradley (68).

Amy Alcott (67), Patty Sheehan (69) and Penny Hammel (70) are two shots behind the leader. Tammy Fredrickson of Pasadena shot par to remain at five under and three shots back. Kathy Whitworth followed an opening-round 67 with a one-over 73, putting her four back. Seventy-four players made the cut by scoring 148 or less.

Meanwhile, in Augusta, the three Japanese players--Tommy Nakajima, Jumbo Ozaki and Isao Aoki--failed to make the cut.

“A lot of the reporters at the Masters may be heading here (to San Diego) either Saturday or Sunday,” Watanabe said.

And that’s exactly what frightens the reserved Okamoto.

“She’s worried that the press guys may show up,” said Margie Kato, Okamoto’s manager and translator. Okamoto speaks some English but prefers to have Kato interpret.

“Ayako usually does well when they are all somewhere else,” Kato said. “It’s much easier being here alone. That way, the pressure is on yourself. After she finishes a round here, she doesn’t have all the interviews.”

The Masters is being televised live at 6 each morning in Tokyo, but none of Okamoto’s highlights from the Kyocera Inamori tournament--sponsored by a Japanese firm--are available there.

“Ayako has a very high status in Japan,” said Watanabe, who is assigned to cover Okamoto for five weeks in the United States. “She has so many fans in Japan, and she sells a lot of papers.”

Most of Okamoto’s success has come on the LPGA Tour in the United States, but Okamoto, the ninth-ranked player last year and the 10th-leading money-winner this season ($48,658), is hardly a household name in this country.

Okamoto was born in Hiroshima and turned 36 April 2. She was a talented softball pitcher until 11 years ago, when she turned to golf. She joined the tour in 1981 and had her best season in 1984, when she ranked third in earnings with $251,108.

In 1985, Okamoto was hampered by a bad back and dropped to No. 23. She could barely walk, and in August of that year, she had papaya enzymes injected into a herniated disc instead of undergoing an operation.

“I had never been in a hospital before,” Okamoto said. “I cried when I had my ears pierced. And I was very upset with all the needles. I cried in the hospital. I didn’t like the white walls and the smell.”

After being treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Okamoto did not play until January 1986. Okamoto lives in Ft. Pierce, Fla., but plans to move to Redondo Beach in June.

Last year, Okamoto earned $198,362 and won the Elizabeth Arden and Cellular One-Ping tournaments.

Okamoto is still bothered periodically by her back. She rarely plays golf more than three weeks in a row, and she often sleeps on the floor. The papaya procedure, however, was successful enough to enable her to continue her career.

“She’s in a much better state,” Kato said. “When she gets tired, it (her back) starts to hurt. If it gets worse, she’ll have to consider retiring or having an operation.”

On Friday, when Okamoto had four birdies and two bogeys on the hilly Bernardo Heights course, she said her back hurt through most of the round.

“It especially hurt when I hit a bad shot,” joked Okamoto, who said she is happy with her play and her fifth-place finish last week, but is by no means confident of winning this tournament.

“It’s something mental,” said Okamoto. “I’m not totally confident. Maybe 50%. I don’t feel secure. And then there’s luck involved. I’ll have to see if it’s on my side or the other players.”

As for the other players:

King, after bogeying the first hole Friday, picked up seven birdies and one bogey.

“When you’re playing well,” she said, “that kind of start doesn’t bother you much. You know there are plenty of birdie holes on this golf course.

“Today, I probably played better than I did at the final round of the Dinah Shore. Of course, the pressure is different and the course is easier.”

Alcott, despite a stiff neck that she says is improving, was consistently hitting the greens and fairways en route to five birdies.

“I feel like my all-around game is coming along real well,” she said, “and I’m in a good position to win.”

After carding five birdies and one bogey, Sheehan said, “I feel like I’m playing like I’m capable of, like I used to. It was fun to be in the same group as Whitworth when she had another good day. I was very lethargic the first three days of this week, but I’m feeling good now.”

Said Kato: “I was going to leave after the first round, but now I guess I’ll have to stay the week.”

She may shortly be joined by a troupe of journalists heading west from Augusta.