Ai Miyazato facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ai Miyazato 宮里 藍
Miyazato at the 2010 Women's British Open
Personal information
Born	(1985-06-19) 19 June 1985 (age 40) Higashi, Okinawa, Japan
Height	5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Nationality	Japan
Residence	Higashi, Okinawa, Japan
Career
Turned professional	2004
Former tour(s)	LPGA of Japan Tour LPGA Tour Ladies European Tour
Professional wins	25
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour	9
Ladies European Tour	2
LPGA of Japan Tour	15
Other	1
Best results in LPGA Major Championships
Kraft Nabisco C'ship	T15: 2007
LPGA Championship	T3: 2006, 2010
U.S. Women's Open	T6: 2009, 2011
Women's British Open	T3: 2009
The Evian Championship	T15: 2013
Achievements and awards
Ladies European Tour Order of Merit winner	2011
William and Mousie Powell Award	2012

Ai Miyazato (宮里 藍, Miyazato Ai, born 19 June 1985) is a former Japanese professional golfer. She competed on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour (JLPGA). In 2010, she was ranked as the world's top female golfer three times.

Ai Miyazato's Early Life and Golf Start

Ai Miyazato was born in Higashi, Okinawa, Japan, on June 19, 1985. Her father and brothers are also professional golfers. Her older brother, Yūsaku Miyazato, has won seven times on the Japan Golf Tour. He even played in the 2018 Masters Tournament.

In 2003, while still an amateur, Ai won a professional event. This was the Dunlop Ladies Open on the LPGA of Japan Tour. She was attending high school in Miyagi Prefecture at the time.

Ai's Amazing Professional Golf Career

Starting Strong: JLPGA Tour Success

In 2004, her first year as a professional, Ai Miyazato won five tournaments on the JLPGA Tour. In February 2005, she teamed up with Rui Kitada to win the first-ever Women's World Cup of Golf for Japan. Later in 2005, she won six more events on the JLPGA tour. She was the second-best player on the JLPGA Tour that year.

When she won the Japan Open Championship in 2005, Ai was only 20 years old. This made her the youngest player to win a major tournament on the JLPGA Tour. Over 32,000 fans watched the final round. This was the largest crowd ever for a JLPGA event.

Joining the LPGA Tour

In December 2005, Ai easily earned her spot on the 2006 LPGA Tour at the Qualifying Tournament in Florida. She played very well, finishing 12 strokes ahead of the next player. This was a new record for the biggest win margin. On December 15, she also became the first Japanese woman to play in a men's professional event in Japan.

In 2009, her fourth year on the LPGA Tour, Ai won her first LPGA event. This was the Evian Masters in France. She won in a sudden-death playoff against Sophie Gustafson.

Becoming World Number One

In 2010, Ai Miyazato won four of the first nine tournaments on the LPGA Tour. On June 21, she became the number one golfer in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She held this top spot for one week. Then, Cristie Kerr took over for three weeks. Ai regained the number one spot on July 19 by a very small margin.

In August 2010, Ai won her fifth tournament of the year at the Safeway Classic in Oregon. She won by two strokes over Cristie Kerr and Na Yeon Choi. She briefly lost the top ranking to Kerr again but quickly got it back.

In 2011, Ai won the Order of Merit on the Ladies European Tour (LET). She only played in two events on that tour. However, her second win at the Evian Masters had a very large prize. This was enough for her to top the list.

In April 2012, Ai won her eighth LPGA event. This was the first LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii. She finished four strokes ahead of Azahara Muñoz and Meena Lee.

Endorsements and Retirement

Ai Miyazato had many endorsement deals. These included companies like Suntory, Bridgestone Corporation, Japan Airlines, Oakley, Honda, and Mitsubishi Electric.

Her older brothers, Kiyoshi Miyazato and Yūsaku Miyazato, are also professional golfers. She is not related to fellow Japanese LPGA Tour player Mika Miyazato.

On May 27, 2017, it was announced that Ai Miyazato would retire from golf at the end of the season. Her last tournament was the 2017 Evian Championship. Ai is known for being the first golfer to reach the world number one ranking without ever winning a major championship. Her best finish in a major was third place three times.

Ai Miyazato's Tournament Wins

Ai Miyazato won a total of 25 professional tournaments.

LPGA Tour Wins (9)

• 2009 Evian Masters
• 2010 Honda PTT LPGA Thailand
• 2010 HSBC Women's Champions
• 2010 Tres Marias Championship
• 2010 ShopRite LPGA Classic
• 2010 Safeway Classic
• 2011 Evian Masters
• 2012 LPGA Lotte Championship
• 2012 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship

JLPGA Tour Wins (15)

• 2003 Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open (as an amateur)
• 2004 Daikin Orchid Ladies
• 2004 Suntory Ladies Open
• 2004 APiTA Circle K Sunkus Ladies
• 2004 Masters GC Ladies
• 2004 Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open
• 2005 Vernal Ladies
• 2005 Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open
• 2005 New Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ladies
• 2005 Japan Women's Open Golf Championship
• 2005 Hisako Higuchi IDC Otsuka Kagu Ladies
• 2005 Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open
• 2006 JLPGA Championship Konica Minolta Cup
• 2006 Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open
• 2009 Sankyo Ladies Open

Other Wins (1)

• 2005 Women's World Cup of Golf (with Rui Kitada)

Ai Miyazato's Major Tournament Results

Ai Miyazato played in many major golf tournaments. She never won a major, but she had several top finishes.

• ANA Inspiration: Her best finish was T15 in 2007.
• Women's PGA Championship: She finished T3 twice, in 2006 and 2010.
• U.S. Women's Open: She finished T6 twice, in 2009 and 2011.
• Women's British Open: Her best finish was T3 in 2009.
• The Evian Championship: Her best finish was T15 in 2013.

Ai Miyazato's World Ranking

Ai Miyazato was a top-ranked golfer for many years. She reached the number one spot in 2010.

Team Competitions

Ai Miyazato also represented Japan in several team golf events.

As an Amateur

• Espirito Santo Trophy (representing Japan): 2002

As a Professional

• World Cup (representing Japan): 2005 (winners), 2006
• International Crown (representing Japan): 2014