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CN CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 26, 2011

Ai Miyazato

MIRABEL, QUEBEC

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome current tournament leader Ai Miyazato to the interview room. You're 11-under par overall, shot 67 today at the CN Canadian Women's Open. Seems like you're playing pretty well this week. Tell us about your round.
AI MIYAZATO: You know, I had a really good day today. But in the beginning of the round I had a little bit too much like too tough on myself. So it was a little hard to make a gain.
But I realized I'm too tough on myself. I just had a nice self talk and I got really patient. So that's why I got a really good bounce back towards the end, so I'm very happy.
THE MODERATOR: Last year you had a career year, five wins. This year it took you a little bit to get your first win at the Evian Masters. Do you feel like that first win is helping you now to get more here?
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah, definitely. My confidence is back, and I'm really comfortable with my game right now. So I'm playing very good. I'm really satisfied about my game today.

Q. The way you're playing now, do you feel that there is still a chance this year to catch Yani Tseng and get the No. 1 ranking back?
AI MIYAZATO: I have no idea (laughing). I'm just finishing the second round today, and I still have two more days and so many good players up until like 20. You never know what's going to happen this weekend.
So I'll just try my best this weekend and, you know, hopefully I can catch Yani. But she's playing really solid this year. It's a good challenge for me, so I'll try.

Q. The par-3, 4th and 8th hole, do you remember what club you hit on those? Was it the same club?
AI MIYAZATO: I hit 7-wood on that hole, yeah.

Q. You had a few putts burn the edges today, even though you made a number of them. After a round where you came so close, do you look back at the ones that got away or are you happy having so many birdie opportunities?
AI MIYAZATO: It feels like half and half. I had so many birdie opportunities, but I got also like really good up-and-down like close to the pin five times. I played really good. I feel like I holed a lot of putts today. I just have to look at the positives today.

Q. Do you feel that you're playing as good as last year now?
AI MIYAZATO: No, I don't think so, no. Last year is last year, and this year is this year, so it's different. I honestly, I can't -- I can't compare, but I'm playing really good after Evian, so I'm very comfortable with my game right now.

Q. There's a lot of low scores through two rounds. I mean, 11-under is probably not going to do it by the time Sunday rolls around. Could you talk about the way the course is playing and the number of birdies, what your approach will be this weekend?
AI MIYAZATO: The course is -- the fairway is wide open and the greens are big. It's pretty much receptive. You can be aggressive hitting to the second shot. That's why I think everyone's hitting like really --- everyone shot a lower score.
So this weekend I think it will be around -- I don't know, close to 20-under par, the winning score. But it depends on the weather and it depends on the pin positions as well. So just trying to make a birdie -- I'll just try to make as many birdies as I can.

Q. I'd like to come back to how the Tsunami affected your play and that sort of thing. I'm wondering if you could talk about how something like that off the course can affect your play on the course, and how you get through it?
AI MIYAZATO: At first I didn't realize that the Tsunami had that much of an effect on me, especially on the golf course, but you know even when I was on and off the golf course, there were some times that the Tsunami was always on my mind. There's always time that I had to think about it.
I tried to give back to the people in Japan with good results with my golf. But I found out that that didn't really work because that's not the way I usually play. So once I was able to realize that, I was able to focus one shot at a time, and the results also followed.

Q. Golf is such a mental game. Often when you're up there you don't hit it quite as far as some of the other top players. Do you think that make it's even more of a mental game for you compared to some of the girls that can bomb it out there?
AI MIYAZATO: When I came on Tour my first year, I did want to try to hit the ball farther. As a result, though, I lost my style of how I play golf. But now I feel confident about the way I play with my skills with the short game. So right now I feel comfortable with the game.

Q. On the 5th tee I saw you and your caddie looking on the ground at a little bug or something like that. What was it, and were you maybe afraid it was a frog?
AI MIYAZATO: It wasn't a frog, but it kind of looked like a grasshopper laying an egg on the ground. It wasn't something I was used to seeing, that's why me and my caddie had to look at it.

Q. Do you think some of the tough times you've been through make you appreciate the good times even more?
AI MIYAZATO: Yes, definitely. I feel that nothing is really given to me very easily, especially after I was playing good. Playing good is never really given to me that easily. So by now I do feel that I tend to appreciate things a lot more than usual or than before.

Q. I saw on 16, not that I paid too much attention, but I saw you sneezing. Are you feeling okay?
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah, I'm feeling okay. Thank you for your concern about it (laughing). I'm okay, thank you.

Q. Also on that tee was a bit of a break. So I saw you checking out the Audi, the car that was sitting there.
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah.

Q. Is that because you might be expecting a large paycheck sometime soon?
AI MIYAZATO: No, I have a Honda, so no, I didn't expect that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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