TOKYO (TR) – Female golfer Reika Miyako, 21, is in a serious relationship with a man 30 years her senior.
Such a revelation is not notable for broadsheets like the Mainichi Shimbun but it is par for the course for weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun (Dec. 4).
Miyako’s management agency responded to the relationship to confirm that her boyfriend is indeed 51 years of age. “It’s true,” a representative tells the magazine.
Although Miyako is a rookie in her first year as a professional this year, she is already a popular player with over 130,000 followers on Instagram. Her nickname is “Miyakore.”
“A native of Tokushima Prefecture, Miyako began to show promise as a junior golfer, winning her first amateur title last April on the lower-level tour of the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association [JLPGA],” says a golf magazine reporter.
She passed the test to become a professional on her fourth attempt last November.
“Even in the colorful world of women’s golf, her progress is reported in sports papers and elsewhere every day during tournaments, making her a popular golfer with a major sponsorship from a listed company,” continues the aforementioned reporter.
On November 23, Miyako finished the final tournament of the JLPGA Tour season, the 44th Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Oopen, held in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture.
“Miyako’s participation in this tournament was a seeding that would allow her to be exempt from qualifying for next season,” says the same reporter. “She made it through the qualifying rounds and finished 2-under par. She just barely made it into the top 50 in the domestic and international tour rankings, securing a seeding for next season.”
Miyako updated her Instagram after her round, writing about her feelings: “This week was a crucial one, and it was the most thrilling four days of my golf career, lol.”
According to Bunshun, her boyfriend was the first to share her joy upon her return to Tokyo.
“The man in question is a whopping 30 years older than Miyako. The two have been dating since spring 2024. Now Miyako is head over heels in love with him,” a golf insider tells Bunshun.
