The game of lawn bowls may appear straightforward — players in whites repeatedly roll 1.5-kg rounded plastic "bowls" over finely cut grass — but Japan's male and female singles champions are taking decidedly different approaches to the World Singles Champion of Champions, set to begin in Ayr, Scotland, on Tuesday.

Buddy Ferrie, 48, a native of Pennsylvania participating in his first international tournament, will tackle the multistage event on a careful, step-by- step basis. "My goal is to get through the initial round robin," said Ferrie during an interview one Saturday afternoon earlier this month. "Then if I get to the knockout round, my goal is to get as far as I can."

Conversely, Yoko Goda, 61, a veteran of numerous overseas matches, including the 2005 Asian Championship Fours, in which she won the bronze medal, put down a bit of swagger typically found in more rugged games at a press conference in late June at the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club (YC&AC). "Since I started playing 10 years ago, it has been my dream to participate in this event," she said. "It would be nice to see the Hinomaru [Japan's national flag] flying at center court. I will do my best to accomplish that."