Sakura Torii disqualified at NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament

At the NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament in Nagano, rookie golfer Sakura Torii was disqualified following a ruling regarding a wrong ball. During the final round, spectators alerted officials that Torii had played her second shot on the first hole from an out-of-bounds (OB) zone.

Although Torii initially informed a rules official that her ball was in bounds, subsequent testimony from five spectators and volunteers, combined with a field verification, confirmed the ball was approximately 30cm outside the boundary line between the white stakes. Under JLPGA rules, Torii was disqualified for failing to correct the error before completing the round. Torii expressed her distress, noting she was confident the ball was in bounds at the time.

In related tournament news, Shiho Kuwaki finished in 42nd place after a final round of 70. Following her recent success at the AIG Women's Open, Kuwaki noted the pressure of the tournament but expressed gratitude for the gallery support despite her struggle with putting.