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RICOH WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN

July 28, 2009

Ai Miyazato

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, ENGLAND

COLIN CALLENDER: Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 2009 Ricoh British Women's Open Championship. We have here Ai Miyazato, who has been happy enough to come visit with us today.
First of all I would like to congratulate her. As you all probably know had he won the Evian Masters at the weekend. You must be feeling very confident coming into this tournament.
AI MIYAZATO: Yes, I'm really happy at the moment and I played really well last week. My confidence is back and I'm looking forward to this week.
COLIN CALLENDER: What does it actually mean to you to have won on the LPGA Tour after a couple of years, after not having quite managed a win?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I went through a lot and obviously I learned a lot. But by overcoming it, the win came as a result of overcoming it. So I really value those years that I had not won.
COLIN CALLENDER: How would you place the victory alongside all of your victories in Japan?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, when I won in Japan, I was basically not scared of anything. But coming over here to the States, like I said, I went through a lot so it certainly is very valuable to me. It means a lot.
COLIN CALLENDER: One final question before I open it out to the floor, you came here in 2006 and finished in the Top-10. Is this a course you particularly enjoy, or what do you feel about the golf course?
AI MIYAZATO: I like it a lot. The weather is very typical of Britain I think. But I played my last round real solid, and so I really have a good image playing this course.

Q. You say you got your confidence back last week. Had you lost confidence somewhere?
AI MIYAZATO: It's a very long story, but to say a long story short, I had to go through the language barriers and culture difference and everything. So all those things combined led to losing some of my confidence.
But I feel like everything is starting to gel together so, that's why I'm getting my confidence back.

Q. Can you just talk about the reaction that you had after you won in Japan, and from your family?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, my family will probably be very happy for me. They cried in excitement. On my Webb site, I had over 2000 comment, so I can tell from that that everyone was happy.
Apart from that, I don't know how crazy it is.
COLIN CALLENDER: What do you think your victory will do for Japanese golf?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, it's been four years since I've played here in the States, but since then, there's been many good, young Japanese players that have come up. But by winning, I think I can show them that we can all do it and I can do it. I think the level of golf in Japan will increase as a result.

Q. Did your victory represent for Japan any kind of a victory over South Korea, and is there a rivalry between the Japanese golfers and the South Korean golfers?
AI MIYAZATO: This is a personal opinion, but obviously there are many Koreans on this tour, but it's not just the Koreans here. It's a worldwide tour in my opinion here on the LPGA, and I feel that I am one of the international players.
But everybody including the Korean players were happy that I had won. So I don't really sense a huge rivalry in my opinion.

Q. Can you just give us a glimpse about the amount of pressure you felt to win from your country?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, until the last putt fell on 18, I really didn't expect too much out of myself. I just tried to stay present and focus on the shot in front of me. But my hands and legs were shaking, so I could tell then that I really was feeling the pressure.

Q. Away from the golfing side of things, and ignoring the weather, what are your opinions of the Lytham St. Annes area as a place to come and a place to visit?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I've only seen the golf course because I got here yesterday. And I also haven't had a chance to go around town too much, but everyone here around Lytham is very nice, and I just feel lucky to have come back.
COLIN CALLENDER: Ai, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts

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