Retiring professional golfer Ai Miyazato could feature at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as coach for the Japanese women’s team, the head of the sport’s development headquarters for the games revealed Wednesday.
“There’s no one opposing the idea” of asking Miyazato to serve as coach, said Masahiro Kuramoto, who is also chairman of the Professional Golfers’ Association of Japan.
Shigeki Maruyama, who has three PGA Tour titles, was Japan’s coach for both men and women at the Rio de Janeiro Games last summer.
He still fills the role, but Miyazato will be offered the chance to oversee the women’s team.
“Whether Maruyama will look after only the men’s team or serve in a more comprehensive coaching role is another question, but we’d like Miyazato to look after the women’s team,” Kuramoto said.
In late May, Miyazato, the former women’s world No. 1 with nine LPGA Tour titles to her name, announced her decision to retire from competitive golf, citing difficulty in maintaining her motivation.
“For now I’ll give all I have for the rest of this season as a player and then think about the future,” Miyazato said Tuesday.
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