On Aug. 4, 2019, life changed for Hinako Shibuno. In ramming home a birdie putt at No. 18 at Woburn Golf Club, Shibuno introduced herself to the golf world by winning the 2019 AIG Women’s Open in her first competition outside of her native Japan. Known as the Smiling Cinderella for her radiant grin that captured the hearts of the golf world, Shibuno found herself the center of massive media attention when she returned home.

“Looking at myself on the magazines and the newspapers, it really felt unreal. It didn't feel like it was myself,” said Shibuno on Tuesday from the 2020 AIG Women’s Open, where she will attempt to defend her title at Royal Troon. “But what was difficult about getting that attention was by winning the majors, I had set a higher expectation on myself and it was kind of difficult to cope with reality with the high expectations that I had set on myself.”

Shibuno arrived in England last year expecting a links-style course and was pleasantly surprised by Woburn Golf Club’s familiar parkland layout. She finally got a taste of links golf at last week’s Aberdeen Standard Investment Ladies Scottish Open and struggled, shooting 79-77 to miss the cut. Royal Troon, which has hosted The Open nine times, is a truly classic links layout and Shibuno now knows what she is in for as she attempts to become the first player to successfully defending an AIG Women’s Open title since Yani Tseng in 2011.

Of course, she’ll head to the course with a smile on her face.

“I've always been conscious of keeping a smile on my face while I'm playing, but after winning the Women's Open last year, it made me realize, once again, the importance of playing with a smile on my face,” said Shibuno. “And this week, it's going to be windy and there's some rain to be expected and the course is going to play out very differently depending on the wind. I'm going to have to play smart. But at the same time as defending champion, I'm going to enjoy, and also I want to show a new part of the game, some new part of my game this year.”

Shibuno opens her title defense on Thursday at 12:49 p.m., playing with Brooke Henderson and Ashleigh Buhai.

Hinako Shibuno Still Smiling As She Prepares To Defend AIG Women's Open Title

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