Q. Looking back on last year, what kind of year was it?

"This was my first time competing on the regular tour as a professional golfer. The year before that I had been able to show my true potential on the ABEMA Tour, which was also why I was able to play on the regular tour, so I was able to go into the season with a fair amount of confidence, but the regular tour and the ABEMA Tour are completely different, and to be honest, I felt like I was no match for the players who were doing well on the regular tour."

What did you think the difference was?

"I think he has a really strong foundation and it's amazing how he's not just playing golf by chance."

-- So, are you making efforts to make up for those shortcomings this year?

"That's right. If we don't get to that point first, no matter how many times we go on regular tours with the same steps, the results probably won't be the same, so I really felt that we had to start from the very basics and get it all down."

Q.It's been a while since you started wearing ZOY, what is your impression of it?

"Before I wore it, I had the image that it was something that only adult men or women would wear and look cool, but when I wore it, it was a little different. There were a lot of casual clothes, and it became something that even young people could wear stylishly, so I'm always struggling with what to wear for each game. There are so many different kinds, it's fun."

Q. What do you think are the good points of ZOY? Do you have any favorite items?

"It's a personal reason, but I'm the type of person whose shirt tends to come out when I'm swinging, so I like knitwear and other things that are really easy to move in. Knitwear is a large piece of clothing, so it doesn't bother me even if my shirt comes out. I can concentrate on the game the whole time, which is really nice, and there aren't many polo shirts that tend to come out when I stretch them out. If I wear really bad clothes, I'd be really self-conscious if my shirt came out, so I don't have to worry about that so much."

Q.What kind of reaction do you get from people around you when you wear ZOY?

"Surprisingly, there aren't many male pros wearing ZOY. During matches, I'm often asked where I'm wearing my clothes, or what kind of manufacturer they are because they're so stylish. So I hope I can spread the word that I wear ZOY clothes."