Miyazato wins LPGA season opener

Japan’s Ai Miyazato produced a stunning final round 63 to capture the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand – the opening event on this season’s LPGA Tour.

Miyazato’s nine-under par round saw her overhaul the tournament leader, Norway’s Suzann Petterson and add to her only previous LPGA win, the Evian Masters last year.

Miyazato’s round included a chip-in birdie at the 18th hole but even her blistering round might not have been enough had Petterson been able to hang onto her large lead going into the final round. Miyazato had started the last day six shots behind the Norwegian, but Petterson couldn’t find the birdies she needed to see off the Japanese player and her two-under par round of 70 wasn’t enough to hold off her rival.

“There’s nothing I can do when Ai shoots 9-under,” said Pettersen. “I played pretty good golf and I don’t waste much energy thinking of why I didn’t win it. For me, it was a great start.”

A strong field for the season’s opener at Siam Country Club also featured women’s world number one Lorena Ochoa, as well as Karrie Webb, Christie Kerr, Laura Davies, Angela Stanford, Catriona Matthew, Brittany Lincicome, Natalie Gulbis and Michelle Wie among others.

Miyazato wins her first LPGA Tour event at the Evian Masters

Its one down and one to go for Michelle Wie in her quest to make the US Solheim Cup team on merit, but she has done herself no favours with a lacklustre display at the Evian Masters, played over the Evian Royal Resort, France. Wie needed to finish in the top five both in the Evian and at this week’s British Women’s Open, or to win either to have any chance of qualifying automatically for Beth Daniels’ team to take on the European Women’s team for the Solheim Cup.

However, it appears increasingly likely now that the young Hawaiian and former teen prodigy Wie will need to rely on being one of Daniels’ wild-card picks for the team. Wie finished down the field, tied for 20th place on 283 – 5-under-par.

At the head of affairs, it was 24-year old Ai Miyazato of Japan who emerged victorious to seal her first LPGA Tour title, following a playoff with Sophie Gustafson. Miyazato had won 12 times on the Japanese LPGA tour before heading to the States and joining their tour in 2006, where she had so far failed to win a title.

However, Miyazato picked up a winners’ cheque for $487,500 – the joint highest prise in women’s golf – on the first extra hole after Gustafson had tied her with a birdie on the last hole to force the playoff. Gustafson, 35, and winner of four LPGA and 13 European Tour titles had a chance to win the title in regulation, but saw her eagle putt on the final hole stop just short of the hole.

Mizayo had started the day one shot off the lead and carded a three-under par round of 69, while Gustafson, who had shared the lead going into the final day, carded a round of 70.

Meena Lee of South Korea scored nine birdies in a round of 65 to share third place with veteran American player, Cristie Kerr who shot a round of 70; both players finishing one shot back on 13-under-par for the tournament.

A further two shots back was defending champion Helen Alfredsson of Sweden, who shot a 70 to share fifth place with American golf glamour girl, Paula Creamer who also shot 70 and former world number one, Karrie Webb of Australia, who carded 71. Of the other overnight leaders, NaYeon Choi could only manage a round of 71 and slipped to joint-eighth place while Wales’ Becky Brewerton had a final round to forget, carding a 76 to finish tied for 13th place.

Current world number one, Lorena Ochoa of Mexico carded a 73 to finish on 286, tying for 34th place.

The Ricoh Women’s British Open takes place at Royal Lytham St Annes from July 30th to August 2nd, while the Solheim Cup will be contested at Sugar Grove, Illinois, in the United States where the home nation will defend the cup in the women’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup.

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