Ai MiyazatoGraham Hughes
http://local.globe.com/golfcan/2011/08/miyazato_friday.flv
MIRABEL, QUE. -
Tournament golf is a stiff test of internal fortitude at the best of times, never mind when external calamities rudely poke their snouts into a player's mental space.
Take Norway's Suzann Pettersen, who admitted this week that Anders Breivik's murderous spree in her home country has made it tougher to focus on golf this season – the world's No. 2 missed the cut at the CN Canadian Women's Open on Friday, snapping a two-tournament winning streak.
Or Japan's Ai Miyazato, a former world No. 1 and five-time winner in 2010, whose game abruptly went off the boil when a tsunami devastated her country last March.
"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," said Miyazato, who returned to form by winning the Evian Masters earlier this summer.
Her excellent play has continued. After a pair of rounds at Hillsdale Golf and Country Club, the 26-year-old is tied for the tournament lead at 11-under par.
Shortly after carding a 68 on Friday, Miyazato talked about how she managed to regain her footing on the course, partly due to the realization she was playing for the benefit of others rather than concentrating on each hole.
"I tried to give back to the people in Japan with good results with my golf," she said through an interpreter. "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."
Miyazato plows her own furrow in professional golf – she's neither a long hitter (perhaps owing to her tiny stature), nor a particularly brilliant putter.
Her long, deliberate swing won't soon be confused with Michelle Wie's fluid masterpiece of a stroke, but she has a canny short game and is remarkably consistent.
On a Quebec course that Canadian veteran Lorie Kane warned "could turn into a bomber's paradise," Miyazato has outduelled longer hitters by being patient and playing her game.
"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," she said. "But now I feel confident about the way I play with my skills with the short game."
Miyazato's was one of 82 rounds to finish under par on Friday (in a field of 155) – for the second day, the LPGA's best had their way with a Hillsdale course softened by rain and cool weather.
Seventy-eight players made the cut for the weekend, six of them from Canada.
The low Canuck is Samantha Richdale of Kelowna B.C., who followed up her first-round 66 with a one-over-par 73 on Friday.
"It was nice to be up at the top, and you kind of just want to follow that up. I kind of lost it there for a bit, but I'm happy I was able to get some birdies back in the end," Richdale said.
The 27-year-old sat third after her career-best tournament round on Thursday, but wound up in a tie for 20th after 36 holes, six strokes behind Miyazato and Angela Stanford of the United States.
"I definitely want to move up. I'm trying to make it into some LPGA events later this year where I have to move up on the money list. So I'm looking forward to playing some good golf on the weekend," Richdale said.
The Canadian contingent for the final rounds also includes 16-year-old amateur Jisoo Keel of Coquitlam, B.C. (who birdied her last hole to shoot 71 and make the cut) and 22-year-old Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, who is in her first tournament as a professional.
Hillsdale's head greenskeeper, Pat Moir, who said before the event began he would be happy with 12 under as the winning total – appears destined for an gloomy weekend.
"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," Miyazato said. "So this weekend I think it will be … close to 20-under par, the winning score. But it depends on the weather and it depends on the pin positions as well."
Given the number of birdies through two rounds, Miyazato said she plans to step it up through the weekend because no margin is truly safe under the conditions – which could include heavy rains for Sunday's final round.
"I'll just try to make as many birdies as I can," she said with a smile.