Miroku Suto of Japan seems like an expert golfer with logos of 11 sponsors splashed throughout her polo shirt, cap, bag and even her belt. Her mother and father say the offers are value within the mid-six figures yearly, with some contracts for 10 years. A twelfth sponsorship is ready when she returns to her dwelling three hours exterior of Tokyo.
The sponsors are so essential that Suto’s mom and caddie, former determine skater Miyuki Suto, had her daughter change right into a sponsor’s belt earlier than she sat for a video interview and thoroughly organized her hat in her arms so the logos might be seen.
Miroku Suto has excessive confidence, saying by way of an interpreter she desires to turn into “a legend.”
She has a methods to go. She’s solely 10.
Although Suto gained consecutive titles within the 6-and-under age group on the Junior World Golf Championships in 2017-18 on a par-3 course, she hasn’t completed in addition to she’s moved up in age.
She struggled this yr within the 9-10 age group and tied for seventeenth, 18 photographs behind the winner on a par-74, 4,201-yard structure at Sycuan Resort Willow Glen Course. It’s the third straight time she has left San Diego and not using a title (the 2020 event was canceled due to the pandemic).
While different ladies and boys within the 9-10 age group goofed round on the placing inexperienced ready for the awards ceremony, Suto did interviews on the perimeter of a close-by inexperienced, together with one with a Tokyo TV crew that had adopted her round for 3 days on a suburban course. She did present some playfulness when she briefly laid on her again and did the equal of a snow angel on the shaded grass.
Otherwise, it is all enterprise. She and her mom have been dressed alike, together with sporting coral-colored seersucker shorts.
Suto is well-known in Japan, a golf-crazed nation that has produced two main champions in current yr — Hinako Shibuno within the 2019 Women’s British Open and Hideki Matsuyama on the 2021 Masters. It just isn’t unusual for TV rankings in Japan to be greater for ladies than males.
Even at her age, Suto’s {golfing} exploits are routinely featured on TV, however not a lot in the remaining on the earth — at the least not but.
She just isn’t the primary little one star. Michelle Wie was 10 when she shot 64 on her dwelling course in Honolulu and have become the youngest participant to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. At age 13, she gained that event and stays the USGA’s youngest champion. She almost gained an LPGA main at 16 and finally gained a U.S. Women’s Open in 2014.
That similar yr, 11-year-old Lucy Li turned the youngest participant to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. The sixth-grader missed the reduce at Pinehurst No. 2. Earlier this month, now a professional, Li gained her second Epson Tour occasion and is all however assured an LPGA card for subsequent yr.
For sponsorships, Suto got here alongside on the proper time.
Li bumped into bother with the USGA three years in the past when she appeared in an Apple advert. The guidelines again then prohibited newbie golfers from utilizing their names or likeness for private acquire in promotions or commercials for merchandise. The USGA gave her a one-time warning.
But the USGA and R&A — Japan falls below the jurisdiction of the latter — have modernized guidelines. Starting this yr, the principles for newbie standing eradicated all promoting, expense-related and sponsorship restrictions. The rule change was aimed toward elite amateurs who would possibly want funding to succeed in their potential.
The child nonetheless has an extended approach to go to meet that.
Golf’s most well-known prodigy was a younger Californian named Tiger Woods. He gained his age division within the Junior World, a event that has attracted one of the best from world wide since 1968, six occasions in eight years.
Sponsorship cash wasn’t obtainable for Woods, who appeared on the “Mike Douglas Show” when he was 2. During his World Golf Hall of Fame induction speech in March, Woods spoke passionately about his mother and father taking out a second mortgage on their dwelling to pay for his growth by way of nationwide junior packages.
Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, one other Hall of Famer, gained 5 consecutive Junior Worlds
in her age division.
Suto has gained different worldwide junior titles, such because the US Kids Championship final yr, together with titles in Malaysia and Europe.
Acknowledging by way of giggles that it’s “very difficult” to win these tournaments, she mentioned her placing wasn’t good on the Junior World. She additionally broke her driver throughout a observe spherical and a brand new one was rush-ordered and introduced over by the Tokyo TV crew.
Suto, who’s home-schooled, mentioned she want to match Woods’ six Junior World titles. She has loads of time, given the highest finish is the 15-18 age group.
Does Suto really feel any stress?
“No pressure,” she mentioned.
And there isn’t any lack of consideration or sponsorship as she chases her targets.