By Gus Fielding
     The fans wanted it, the sponsors wanted it, the media wanted it. Sakura Yokomine gave them it.
     Yokomine etched her name in the record books with victory at the Japan LPGA Tour Championship last weekend, capping a triumphant year that the 23-year-old at one point feared might come apart at the seams.
     Heading into the season-ending tournament in Miyazaki trailing Shinobu Moromizato by 5.4 million yen in the money race, Yokomine overcame the kind of pressure she has so often choked on in the past to collect a sixth win of the year and with it, her first JLPGA money crown.
     In claiming a one-shot victory, Yokomine also shattered the single-season earnings record by raking in 175,016,384 yen, nearly 9 million yen more than the previous record set by Shiho Oyama in 2006.
     Yokomine, daughter of Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Yoshiro Yokomine, suffered an alarming dip in form after winning her third title of the season at the Nichirei PGM Ladies in June.
     Low on confidence, Yokomine said she toyed with the idea of taking time out from the tour before finally turning a corner at the Munsingwear Ladies Tokai Classic in September.
     ''I guess the turning point in my season was (winning) at the Munsingwear Ladies,'' said Yokomine. ''The two months that followed my third win felt like a long time. I really hit a wall and wondered why things were going so badly.''
     ''I wondered if maybe I should take a break and all kinds of other things were going through my mind. Putting pressure on myself is not for me because I don't handle pressure very well,'' she said.
     ''At the start of the season I felt pressure in a positive sense and I as picking up wins here and there. Because I was able to look inside to see what was going wrong, I think I have been able to achieve what I have this season. I'm proud that I won six titles this year,'' she said.
     Ai Miyazato's Midas touch lit up Japanese golf in her first full season on the tour as a 19-year-old in 2004, her sensational form stealing all the headlines and injecting the tour with a much-welcome popularity boost.
     Not since the glittering achievements of Masashi ''Jumbo'' Ozaki in his heyday helped build the men's tour had a player made so much impact on the game.
     The bubbly Miyazato, who also helped to rid the JLPGA of its frumpy image, left for the United States, where she has enjoyed her breakthrough season on the LPGA circuit this year. But Yokomine and other ''golf chicks'' such as Moromizato and Chie Arimura have helped maintain a level interest in the Japanese women's tour.
     Moromizato, who lost her U.S. LPGA tour card after a disappointing rookie season in 2006, also won six events this season, including two at major titles at the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup in May and the Japan LPGA Championship Konica Minolta Cup in September.
     While naturally disappointed at not holding on to top spot on the money list, Moromizato, 23, said she had exceeded her expectations for the season.
     ''My goal before the start of the season was to win two tournaments. I surpassed that target so I have to give myself a pat on the back,'' she said, adding, ''I've played in every tournament this season and that has been a good experience for me.''
==Kyodo