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SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC

June 20, 2010

Ai Miyazato

GALLOWAY, NEW JERSEY

MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody. We're going to do some interviews, questions in English first and then in Japanese. Welcome, Ai Miyazato. 2010 ShopRite LPGA Classic winner, your fifth win on Tour, your fourth this year, your first on American soil and you are projected to be No. 1 in the world announcement tomorrow. Congratulations.
AI MIYAZATO: Thank you very much.

Q. And can you walk us through your round, please?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I had such a good round today. I couldn't make birdie on the first hole, but I got a good start on second hole, I guess. Yeah. Second hole. And that kept the round going.
Well, for some reason towards the end I was really tired. I think it was really hot out there, and the temperature makes me a little bothering me. But I could stay focused on the shot and I made birdie on the last one. That was great.
MODERATOR: Yeah, it was the birdie on the last that really clinched it for you because M.J. Hur had a chance to make an eagle on the last, and that would have tied you. So that's what clinched it.
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah. I saw her score that she made birdie on 16 and 17. So after that I said to myself, okay, I need to one more swing and I need to one more good putt. So it was good self-talk, and I was really stay in control of myself out there.
MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Could you go over the birdie holes today?
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah. The second hole.

Q. The length of the birdie putt?
AI MIYAZATO: The second hole was five meters, and three, I had eagle putt like three meters, and five -- oh, birdie putt was three meters again.
And 9 was one meter, and 10 was quite long. It was nine meters, I think. And 14 was five meters, and 18 was three meters.

Q. How important was that birdie on 10, second shot and that birdie on 10 after you hit your tee shot in the bunker? That really seemed to jump start that whole Back 9.
AI MIYAZATO: Well, it was in the bunker, and then I thought the bunker was more wider, but it was actually really narrow, so I thought it was going to be really important not to be aggressive, and trying to get to the front of the green. But actually I had a really good shot, and the ball lie was really good. So that's why I could hit it into the green, and I made a birdie.

Q. What did you hit out of the bunker?
AI MIYAZATO: It was a 9-iron.

Q. M.J. Hur just said that your game is gorgeous.
AI MIYAZATO: (Laughs). Gorgeous?

Q. She said it's so simple when you're on. Can you talk about I guess when it's not on, I mean very rarely do you get a player who wins four times miss two cuts in a nine-tournament stretch. What goes wrong and what was right today and this week?
AI MIYAZATO: Right. Last couple weeks I had -- I mean it's not "Big Break," but I started thinking about the world rank, because Jiyai had surgery last week and everyone kept asking about how close to being No. 1 you are. So that's why I started thinking, and it's a little bit makes it a little difficult like myself to concentrate.
So I couldn't focus my swing or my game last week, so it makes it a little difficult. But earlier this week, I spoke with my caddie, and we had a really good talk about the world rank, and what I need to do to focus right now. So that's why I got so clear about this week and started again focus my swing and every single shot.
(Through interpreter): When I'm missing the cuts emotionally, I'm not very clear inside, but then when I make the cut and playing very well, then that means I'm very well organized inside.

Q. Can you say what it means to you to be No. 1 in the world now? You talked earlier this week and said it was a process.
AI MIYAZATO: Yes.

Q. I mean --
AI MIYAZATO: I'm saying a process, I guess, but well -- (through interpreter) Well, when I started playing in the States, that's when I really started thinking about being No. 1, and that became a dream of mine, especially watching Annika and Lorena play, and now that I am No. 1, I still can't believe it. But I do feel very comfortable.

Q. Ai, you played here in 2006 and led the tournament after two rounds. You kind of faltered the last round. Obviously today is a completely different story and all this year. What's the biggest difference between yourself a couple years ago and the way you're playing now?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I have so many experience right now. I've got to do so many things last couple years.
But when I played four years ago, I played with Annika in the last group, and that make me really nervous, and -- but right now I have confidence to play with my game, and -- (through interpreter) I have the confidence now that I didn't have back then, especially going through some of the -- or overcoming some of the trouble that I went through the last couple years.

Q. How is the way you manage your emotions or your game, what has changed the Back 9 on Sunday from Thailand to four wins later? Is it easier?
AI MIYAZATO: (Through interpreter): Well, it's not easy to control myself, but I believe in myself and the game right now, and I feel like no matter what the situation is or the pressure is, I feel like I can play my game right now.

Q. What day did you talk to your caddie, part A; and part B, what does this win and this day do for you going into the next major here?
AI MIYAZATO: We talked on Wednesday, I guess. Yeah, it was Wednesday, and after that I still have a couple of days and -- (through interpreter) a couple days after the talk we had, so that made it really clear for myself, and it's not just for this week, but we have some big tournaments coming up, and so the talk we had is very useful for those, and I feel we're prepared for this.

Q. What's your caddie's name?
AI MIYAZATO (through interpreter): Michael Seaborn, S-E-A-B-O-R-N.

Q. You told the crowd out there that you love this course. When I played here five weeks ago, I loved this course, too.
AI MIYAZATO: (Laughs). It's fantastic, this golf course.

Q. Yeah. Is there anything given Japan's an island nation, do you have something similar to this in Japan or no?
AI MIYAZATO: Not really similar.

Q. No courses there like this?
AI MIYAZATO: No. But I mean I love to play links-style golf course. It's almost like feels like I'm playing in England. But anyway -- (through interpreter) I just love the atmosphere. There's trees, the bush. There's also the small greens, and you need a good short game.

Q. Two-part: First, you've won everywhere in the world. Now you've won here in the United States. What does that mean to you? And I don't know if you noticed it, but there was a decent group of local Japanese fans that came out to follow you today. What does it mean to you to have wherever you go I'm sure local people coming out from your country to watch?
AI MIYAZATO (through interpreter): Yes. Having the local Japanese people come out, that really gives me a lot of energy, and at the same time for the people that come out, if I could give some of that energy back by playing very well, that's all I could ask for, and I'm hoping to do so, to the Japanese people that are worldwide.

Q. Yesterday you made us aware that it was your birthday. Was this a birthday present to yourself today?
AI MIYAZATO: Yes, it is. (Through interpreter): I've won in Japan during my birthday week, too, but having done so in America I feel is more special.

Q. Two-part question.
AI MIYAZATO: Okay.

Q. Are you a leaderboard watcher? As you go through your round, do you know exactly where you are or is it one shot at a time?
AI MIYAZATO: I watch the leaderboard everywhere, every hole. Yes.

Q. And second, you mentioned Annika and Lorena.
AI MIYAZATO: Uh-huh.

Q. So are you contemplating retirement? (Laughs).
AI MIYAZATO: Definitely not. A major is being my focus right now. But thank you for asking.

Q. Do you have plans to play more in the United States now or change your schedule?
AI MIYAZATO (through interpreter): Right now, being Player of the Year on this Tour is my goal, so I do want to play more on the U. S. Tour.

Q. I'm sure you get asked this all the time. The socks, are they comfortable? Were they comfortable today in 100-degree heat? Is that your trademark? Sometimes golfers have their look.
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah. It was pretty hot today. I thought maybe I got wrong message today. But these are compression socks as well, so it helps my muscles, and you won't get tired towards the end of the round. So it helps me a lot and -- (through interpreter) and if they can become my trademark, that would be great, too.

Q. Back to the 10th hole, what happened at 10? If you didn't have -- let's say when you didn't have the experience of winning and what you've been through the past couple years, is that the type of thing that might have rattled you a little bit, the drive in the bunker before you had the experience of winning?
AI MIYAZATO (through interpreter): Maybe it would have rattled me if I didn't have any experiences winning, but mistakes happen in golf. So I've learned to accept those misses and move on and always think positively.

Q. You mentioned that you were nervous playing with Annika when she was No. 1. Are you prepared for other players now to be nervous playing with you?
AI MIYAZATO (through interpreter): No, because around the Top 5 in the world right now, they're all very close points wise in the ranking, so everyone's wanting to become No. 1 as I was, and I'm not like Annika either.

Q. You started today two shots behind M.J., but I think the second hole or the third hole you were on top of the leaderboard.
AI MIYAZATO: Yes.

Q. At that point are you sitting there saying to yourself, I'm going to win; you're that confident?
AI MIYAZATO (through interpreter): No, because all the other players are very close, maybe within a shot or two, and it's so unpredictable who was going to win, so I just started to concentrate on my game, and I didn't really think about going for the win at that point.
MODERATOR: Any more questions in English? We'll take questions in Japanese. Thank you.
AI MIYAZATO: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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