Mika Miyazato clinches her first LPGA title at Safeway Classic 2012
Japanese Mika Miyazato’s dream to win an LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tournament finally came true after she displayed a stunning performance in the Safeway Classic 2012 beating all her rivals on the leaderboard.
The tournament, held last week, saw most of the top-ranked LPGA stars showing their skills at Pumpkin Ridge’s Ghost Creek Course, but Miyazato grabbed much of the attention on the final day clinching a 2-stroke victory against her nearest rivals Brittany
Lincicome of the United States and South Korean Inbee Park.
Miyazato not only fought her way through a strong roster featuring stars like current world number one Yani Tseng and Stacy Lewis of the United States, but she also battled a troubling weather.
The Japanese star kicked off the LPGA tournament in impressive style and posted an overall score of 203. She fired an explosive 65 in the first round, which helped her consolidate her position on the leaderboard.
Although she faced a tough challenge from her rivals right from the start of the prestigious event, she did not let her rivals rattle her and kept moving ahead by shooting birdies.
Miyazato’s performance was consistent in the second round as well, as she registered a 68 to further solidify her leaderboard position.
Lincicome performed well in all the three rounds putting up a tough fight, but a 71 in the second round made a dent in her overall position on the leaderboard. On the other hand, Park was also brimming with confidence when she kicked off the tournament as
she was regarded as favourite for the Safeway Classic 2012.
Speaking to the media about her stunning achievement, Miyazato said that she is more than happy to see her name on top of the leaderboard at an LPGA event, and she hopes to continue her winning form in the coming tournaments.
“It's my dream to play and win on the LPGA Tour,” Miyazato said. “It was very fulfilling for me to be able to win along with the very famous Ai Miyazato and Ayako Okamoto”.
Miyazato said that she came under pressure on some holes, but most of the final day, she remained in contention. “I saw before the chip in Ai and Momoko, and I'm so much nervous. But I tried to focus on my game, and then I chipped in very well. I got to
two or three inches. So overall, I played so much well”.
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