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Ai yi yi! Miyazato medals at LPGA Q-School

Monday December 5, 2005 | 10:23:00 229 words, 4313 views
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Japan’s next great hope, Ai Miyazato, came through with flying colors at this weekend’s LPGA Q-School finals, finishing at 17 under, 12 strokes ahead of her closest competitor.

The Golf Channel, which was covering the action over at the PGA Q-school down south in Orlando, had a few cameras trained on Miyazato for a special they’re putting together that will air only in Japan. The folks at home couldn’t have asked for a better performance—her 12-shot victory broke a 20-year record for a qualifying performance.

Morgan Pressel, who started strong, petered out a bit, but still earned her card, as did all-American Brittany Lang, who had to earn it the hard way in a three-hole playoff.

But what’s as interesting as the names that made it, are some of the names that did not: Beth Bauer, 2002 Rookie of the Year, was DQ’d after a first-round 78; Kelli Kuehne’s play bumped her down to non-exempt status; and Charlotta Sorenstam, Annika’s younger sister, missed the cut altogether.

And Erica Blasberg, rookie blogger who missed exempt status at last year’s Q-school by one shot, missed it by one shot again this year. She was one of seven players (along with Brittany Lang) in that three-hole playoff.

Check the final results here.


Get used to this face; you’ll be seeing a lot of it next year.


Comments:

Comment from: Norman [Visitor]
Jennifer, PREDICTION PLEASE,
Is Ai Miyazato going to make the cut on the Japanese MENS tour, starting Thursday week?
Permalink 12/05/05 @ 11:45
Comment from: Paul W [Visitor]
She has a good shot. It's being played at one of the shorter courses for the men (6800 yards) and doesn't attract the top players.
Permalink 12/05/05 @ 12:41
Comment from: Norman [Visitor]
Thanks Paul, that certainly is quite short. If she makes it, that will be Baldwin's latest story.

Ai Miyazato better than Wie, can handle the pressure blah blah.
Permalink 12/05/05 @ 14:29
Comment from: Shanks [Member] Email · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/shanks
Ai Miyazato is the player that Paula Creamer beat down the stretch last month to win in Japan. To beat a player that good who is rock-star popular in her home country on a strange course was more than just a footnote, as some have suggested.
Permalink 12/05/05 @ 14:46
Comment from: Jennifer Mario [Member] Email
Norman, Miyazato already won the Okinawa Open. Oh, wait, that was her brother Kiyoshi, who won it last year.

Seriously, if you want me to make a prediction, here you go: even taking the short course into account, I don't think her 250-yard drives can compete against the 300-yarders she'll be playing against. I also don't think she's taking this tournament terribly seriously.

Here's what she said about the invite: "To be honest, I was taken by surprise when I was invited to play on the men's tour and I still feel a bit puzzled."

I wish her the best, but that doesn't sound like the words of a woman out to make history.

Not real exhaustive, I know, but the best I could do on short notice.
Permalink 12/05/05 @ 15:40
Comment from: Norman [Visitor]
Thanks Jennifer for your knowledge of the situation.
I'm still going to back her to make the cut though, because I don't think very many men on the Japanese tour average 300 yards.
I wonder if there is anyone obsessed enough to tell us if 250 yard drives are enough to compete on many of the holes in the Okinawa Open. Come on someone, come back with analysis!

Nice to have Shanks get in his two-pence worth about Creamer being so fantastic. I think Miyazato will give both Creamer and Wie something to think about during next years lpga season!
Permalink 12/05/05 @ 17:21
Comment from: Norman [Visitor]
Here is a link to the Okinawa Open from last year. You'll get all the hole lengths, so maybe someone will be able to tell us just how long it is. Some long iron 2nd shots for Miyazato?

http://www.jgto.org/jgto/WG02030000Init.do?year=2005&tournaKbnCd=0&conferenceCd=54&round=6

Permalink 12/05/05 @ 17:30
Comment from: SoSplat [Visitor]
Someone mentioned stats, so here you go:
2005 Driving, Japan Golf Tour
People at or over 300 yds: 2
280 yds+: 65
The stubiest guy is at 245.
Katayama is at about 285, with 60% fairways.

Women's tour:
??? (not finding many statistics here)
I have read before that Miyazato gets 270 off the tee, not 250, but this may be because of the driver she was using before (COR limitation rules go into effect on tour next year, I believe).
Permalink 12/06/05 @ 00:27
Comment from: Paul W [Visitor]
According to this:

http://www.supergolf.co.za/default.asp?id=161277&des=article&scat=supergolf/womensgolf

her average drive is around 250 yards. Her strength is putting. She'll need to be strong with fairway woods to do well even though the Okinawa course is not that long. It's around the same length as the US Open course she play this year, but she missed the cut there scoring only 1 birdie.
Permalink 12/06/05 @ 09:22
Comment from: Norman [Visitor]
I won't pay too much attention to Miyazato's performance at the US Open.
- Keep in mind she finished way behind Morgan Pressel at the US Open.
- Then she finished way ahead of Morgan Pressel at q-school.
Permalink 12/06/05 @ 13:37
Comment from: Paul W [Visitor]
Norman, you make my point for me: she performed worse at the US Open and it was longer, so she may have difficulty with longer courses.
Permalink 12/06/05 @ 16:01
Comment from: Norman [Visitor]
Or maybe she is getting better!
Or maybe had a good day & a bad day.

I don't really know, you could be right about the length.
Permalink 12/06/05 @ 18:33
Comment from: Johnny [Visitor]
IMO, Ai has barely any chance of making the cut. Hopefully she won't come last.
She nice looking though.
Permalink 12/10/05 @ 12:17
Comment from: Norman [Visitor]
Ai is said to have done well in the 3 golf tours championship in Japan, Ladies, Mens, and Seniors Tour.

I don't think she will finish near last, although the cut will be difficult for her.
Permalink 12/11/05 @ 18:15
Comment from: Norman [Visitor]
I predict that Ai Miyazato won't make the cut.

Given she hit a +9 and is in second last place, it's a really bold prediction!!!!
Permalink 12/15/05 @ 09:09
Comment from: Shanks [Member] Email · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/shanks
Note for Paul:

The US Open course actually plays approximately 5-10% shorter than it's listed yardage because of the high altitude in Denver.
Permalink 12/22/05 @ 11:32

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