Japanese golfer Tetsuji Hiratsuka had an emotional reunion on The European Tour with his caddy Takahide Sasaki in thie Alstom Open de France, three months after fearing he was among the thousands killed by the devastating tsunami that hit their homeland in March.
European Tour Member Hiratsuka had been due to fly out to the Open de Andalucia de Golf by Turkish Airlines on March 19 but had not heard anything from his caddy, who he feared was missing in the natural disaster which struck north east of Japan eight days previously.
He took the decision to travel alone and eventually made contact with Takahide, who, along with his wife and two children, was forced to take refuge first on the roof of his home for a day and then the top floor for ten days when the tsunami decimated their home town of Ishinomaki.
Ishinomaki was one of the worst hit costal villages, with one in 30 residents losing their lives in the earthquake and tsunami, which also destroyed all telephone and internet communications effectively cutting off the town from the rest of the world.
Takahide and his family were among the survivors and managed to contact Hiratsuka just before he flew to Spain, much to the relief of the player who had considered withdrawing from the tournament to go to Ishinomaki to look for his friend.
Boosted by news of Takahide’s survival, Hiratsuka went on to finish a credible tied 18th in Andalucia followed by tied ninth in Morocco the following week. Now the pair are back working together for this week’s Alstom Open de France, next week’s Barclays Scottish Open and The Open Championship – something Hiratsuka feared might not happen.
“The day I was due to fly to Europe I got a phone call to say Takahide was safe,” said Hiratsuka. “It was a big relief. I felt I owed it to my country to go to Spain and play so I hired another caddy and played well.
“For a week I did not know whether Takahide was alive or not so it was a big relief to get the call.
“In Andalucia, I was very moved by the response of people on The European Tour. So many people came up to me and said how pleased they were to see me during a difficult time.
“Some sportsmen in Japan were staying at home but many people said to me came to say they appreciated me going abroad during that time. I think it was important to do that to show the country was still carrying on and I was very emotional.”
Takahide, who has worked for Hiratsuka for two years, revealed that his family were extremely fortunate to escape the tsunami.
He said: “When the tsunami was about to hit we considered getting in the car and driving away. My daughter said she wanted to go to the toilet so we went back as we thought the tsunami wouldn’t reach. When we went to leave the house again we saw it was huge so we all ran upstairs and then onto the roof.
“If we had gone by car we would not have survived. We were very lucky. Many people died in my hometown. One out of 30 people died. It was a terrifying experience. My daughter is still scared.”
Both Hiratsuka and Takahide have been involved in the ongoing Japanese Earthquake Relief Fund appeal.
