Man of the hour Hirata on three-peat glory hunt at ANA Open Golf Tournament

Kensei Hirata is on course for an unprecedented hat-trick of victories as he takes his place in the 120-man field as one of the favourites to win this week’s ANA Open Golf Tournament.
 
Inaugurated in 1972, the longstanding event will tee off at the Sapporo Golf Club Wattsu Course in Hokkaido on Thursday with JGTO veteran, Hideto Tanihara – a 19-time Tour champion – also set to defend his title.
 
Hirata won the weather-shortened Fujisankei Classic a fortnight ago and followed up that victory with his fifth JGTO win at the Shinhan Donghae Open in South Korea last week.
 
“I got so many congratulatory messages from everyone the last two weeks. It has been great so far. Everything has been going well in my game. Even though there are mistakes in them, I’m still able to recover quickly. It’s all working well and every aspect of my game is coming together in a good way,” said Hirata.
 
When asked about the possibility of winning his hat-trick of titles this week, the 23-year-old said: “Winning with that goal in mind would be amazing, but I know it’s not going to be easy. But having said that, it’s definitely still one of my goals.”
 
45-year-old Tanihara is proud of being in the elite company after winning the ANA Open last year. While he stands a chance of breaking into the 20-title mark this week - given his course familiarity - Tanihara prefers to stay grounded.  
 
“At my age, it’s not about how many wins I can have. I just want to enjoy my golf, stay focus and give my all in each round. I’ve had much success on this course, and the conditions are fantastic. It’s now up to me to produce results. I just need to stay calm and keep the ball in the fairway.
 
“Winning this historic tournament is definitely as a motivation for us as players. Everyone, including myself, wants to win a tournament where legends like Jumbo Ozaki and Isao Aoki have triumphed,” said Tanihara.
 
Meanwhile, Ryo Ishikawa - the once ‘bashful prince’ who turns 33 in a week  - is looking forward to returning to this significant tournament which he won in 2015.
 
“This is a tournament I’ve been watching since I was a kid, and I’ve been fortunate to play in it many times, even winning it, so it’s a tournament I admire. There are only a few tournaments in Japan that have lasted for more than 50 years, like this one, the Crowns and the Taiheiyo Masters. 
 
“These long-standing tournaments, held at the same course every year, are deeply rooted in their communities. And that’s something that cannot be easily replicated, so it’s a very significant tournament,” said  Ishikawa, who won the Japan Players’ Championship in June, for his 19^th win and first in two years.
 
Ends.