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HSBC WOMEN'S CHAMPIONS

February 28, 2010

Ai Miyazato

TANAH MERAH, SINGAPORE

MIKE SCANLAN: Thanks for coming in, congratulations on your second consecutive LPGA victory of 2010. With the win, you are the first player since 1966 to win the first two events, first two official events of the Tour season. Congratulations.
AI MIYAZATO: Wow, thank you very much.
MIKE SCANLAN: If you would, just tell us about your day, especially the way it started with back-to-back bogeys and the way you were able to come back.
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I was really calm this morning, but you know, sometimes like when you play calm, it's not going to happen. So I stepped back after my bogey the first two holes, and I didn't really control myself after that.
So it was a really long day. There was so many players really close to the top. So it was tough, but I'm just happy to win.
MIKE SCANLAN: The first two winners of this event, the first one, Lorena Ochoa, world No. 1; the second one, Jiyai Shin went on to be Rookie of the Year and went on to be world No. 2. You're currently world No. 4. How do you feel about the fact that you're in such good company?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I feel honoured to be among those great winners, and I just want to keep it going.

Q. You've had an incredible 18 months, also. Before you won at the Evian, did you have any self-doubts that you would make that breakthrough and make this huge leap that you have now done?
AI MIYAZATO: Very much so. I did have doubts about myself before the Evian. And because this tour is at such a high level, you know, I did lose my confidence. But many people have supported me thus far, and I just want to thank them right now for what they have done for me.

Q. You played the 16th hole 5-under par, and even par on 17 and 18; and the 18th tripped up a lot of people this week. Can you talk about those holes and your strategy?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I didn't know about my statistics. But I think it's huge that I lose any stroke on those two holes, and especially the difficult 18. But looking back, I can tell that I kept the concentration.

Q. It's exactly a year ago that we spoke and you said that you were ready to start winning; when did you realise you were ready to start winning, like this?
AI MIYAZATO: Like this?

Q. Like this.
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I don't know, last year 2009 was a good year for me because I won Evian. And it's been a while, because I had a little struggle with my driver and I had a tough time.
Well, overcoming those hard times, that really makes me who I am right now. And the results that I'm getting right now, they are just -- just kind of following me after doing things that I'm capable of doing.

Q. I was watching you play the third hole and you just came off two bogeys, and then the ball, when you hit it past the hole, it didn't look like it would go in but it did go in, and now you've gone on to win; do you think that was a turning point for you today?
AI MIYAZATO: It was, yeah. I had a really good stroke and I almost missed it but it went in. I think it went in because I put in a good stroke. (Laughter).

Q. You made three birdies in a row early on the back nine, can you give us the length of the putts and also tell us why you've got such a good eye for the long putts, and do you practise them at all?
AI MIYAZATO: 11, I had like six metres, birdie putt.
12 is 12 metres.
13 was five metres.
Well, I'm not trying to hole those putts. I'm just trying to concentrate on the moment and my stroke, and I also focus on trying to keep a low centre of gravity.

Q. Just wondering if two weeks ago someone had said you would win in Thailand and you would win here, would you have believed them?
AI MIYAZATO: I wouldn't believe what other people say, but I do believe what I worked on and what I've been working on so far.

Q. What is your next tournament and how confident are you of winning that?
AI MIYAZATO: I have a tournament next week in Japan. You know never what's going to happen next week. It's different, because it's a Japan tournament next week. And it will be a three-day tournament, also.
So the weather is different and the golf course is different, so I'm trying to work on the same things, just try to hit fairways and greens and make some putts.
MIKE SCANLAN: What's the name of that tournament?
AI MIYAZATO: Daikin Orchid Ladies.

Q. This may help with you your World Rankings this week. What are your targets this year, and how do you plan to celebrate?
AI MIYAZATO: This is obviously a great start for me, but the LPGA is such a tough tour, and it's also very tough to keep winning.
So you know, I'll just try not to get greedy and try to get Player of the Year (laughter).
What I'll do to celebrate? I'm tired, so I'll just sleep tonight.

Q. Definitely it's not easy to control yourself, so how did you control yourself on this day?
AI MIYAZATO: So I found my style of golf last year, but I also had confidence with my short game, too.
But what I do is not to go to the past or the future. I try to stay present in what I do. I think staying present really is helping my game at the moment.

Q. Are you worried how you are going to cope with your newfound, or should I say, now that you're even more popular now? Are you worried about how you are going to cope with that, the expectations?
AI MIYAZATO: Yesterday, the Ryo Ishikawa question, whether I'll be popular than him after the win this week; so if I do end up becoming more popular, I'll feel like, "Yes!"
But in terms of whether I'm worried, the winning and maybe success, popularity tend to follow, but I'm not worried about that at all. I think it will be a plus for me.

Q. Did you feel playing in the last group today gave you the advantage to see what everybody else was doing and you could control your game?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I felt pressure, too, but no matter which group I'm playing in, I don't really look at other players and other players' scores. But I was ready to go up against pressure today.

Q. At what age did you first swing a golf club, and who first taught you to play golf? Was it a family member?
AI MIYAZATO: I started to play golf when I was four years old, and I have two older brothers and they are playing golf in Japan, too. They are professionals, too.
My dad is my swing coach, too. So my whole family is playing golf.
MIKE SCANLAN: Ai, thank you so much.

End of FastScripts

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