Ai Miyazato makes headway on LPGA
Japanese Ai Miyazato did not finish her 2012 season as the best golfer or money leader, but grabbing two triumphs makes her stand out in the lineup.
Miyazato made sure right from the start to the season that she remained in the headlines—if not the number one golfer in the world rankings. The Japanese star managed to notch up a title early
in the year when she won the 2012 LPGA Lotte Championship in April.
Currently ranked 9th in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, Miyazato surprised her fans and rivals when she won her second title of the season at Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
It was a perfect display of aggression and precision, as the 27-year-old kept forging ahead despite the presence of giants like current world number one Yani Tseng and Stacy Lewis of the United
States.
The 2012 season went amazingly well not just because she grabbed two victories, but recording 11 top-ten finishes put her in the spotlight. She won an eye-popping $1,334,977 in the season.
The last tournament of the season—CME Group Titleholders—was not a downer at all, despite top-ranked stars were bent on winning there. She carded an overall score of 279 to take the fifth
position on the leaderboard.
Although observers insist that Miyazato could have done much better as she missed many easy chances on the greens, finishing inside the top ten did pay off.
Observers said that the Japanese golfer seemed too complacent during the tournament, which might have gone bad. However, Miyazato had her reasons to believe in her easygoing attitude.
“This is the last tournament so I kind of have like no expectations to myself and nice and relaxed out there, so I was really calm all day. That's why I think I made some good putts,” Miyazato
had said.
But the LPGA giant said that her goal was to finish the season as a star performer, which she has achieved. She said that winning on the LPGA is not easy, but her resilience and commitment
to the sport helped her pull through.
“It's hard. I can see so many good players playing really solid so far and still have a couple more days, and you never know what's going to happen”.
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