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▼ Miyazato Cites Drop in Motivation for Retiring at Season's end
- Category:Event
TOKYO - Ai Miyazato said Monday her struggles to stay motivated triggered the decision to retire at the end of the season, something she has been trying to overcome the past five years.
"I tried to find a way to get over them," the 31-year-old Miyazato said at a press conference. "I've been talking to my mental coach as well, but not being able to get the motivation back made it difficult to keep chasing my goals."
"I had three weeks off last August because of the Olympics. I never had a break that long at that time of the year since I turned pro, and that gave me the time to think about my future. I always had something on the back of my mind, but those three weeks gave me the opportunity to organize my thoughts."
Miyazato has won nine titles on the U.S. LPGA Tour, the second most by a Japanese. She won five tournaments in 2010 when she rose to No. 1 in the world rankings, a position she held for 11 weeks.
Miyazato, however, said the fact that she could not win a major despite being at the top of her game started to trouble her.
"I was winning titles for four years, but not in the majors and I started to wonder what next if I can't win when I'm at my best," she said. "I lost my way and it was really difficult to get things back on track."
"I tried to find a way to get over them," the 31-year-old Miyazato said at a press conference. "I've been talking to my mental coach as well, but not being able to get the motivation back made it difficult to keep chasing my goals."
"I had three weeks off last August because of the Olympics. I never had a break that long at that time of the year since I turned pro, and that gave me the time to think about my future. I always had something on the back of my mind, but those three weeks gave me the opportunity to organize my thoughts."
Miyazato has won nine titles on the U.S. LPGA Tour, the second most by a Japanese. She won five tournaments in 2010 when she rose to No. 1 in the world rankings, a position she held for 11 weeks.
Miyazato, however, said the fact that she could not win a major despite being at the top of her game started to trouble her.
"I was winning titles for four years, but not in the majors and I started to wonder what next if I can't win when I'm at my best," she said. "I lost my way and it was really difficult to get things back on track."
"Losing motivation was due largely to reaching the top of the rankings. But I still have the chance to compete in majors this season, and I feel like I can give it one, final push toward the end of the season. I'll give it everything I have left."
Miyazato spiked the popularity of women's golf in Japan after making her pro debut in 2004, winning five Japanese LPGA tour titles and becoming the first teenager on either the men's or women's circuit to earn 100 million yen in a season.
The youngest member of a golfing family from Okinawa, Miyazato in 2003 became the first amateur in 30 years to win on the professional circuit at the Dunlop Ladies in Miyagi Prefecture, where she was attending high school.
Miyazato, who has won 15 titles on the domestic tour, headed stateside in 2006 and won her first event in her fourth LPGA season at the 2009 Evian Masters in France, defeating Sophie Gustafson on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Fluent in English, Miyazato also paved the way to the United States for her compatriots including Mika Miyazato, Momoko Ueda and Sakura Yokomine.
Her last victory on the LPGA Tour came at the NW Arkansas Championship in 2012. Miyazato's best finishes at the majors were third at the Women's PGA Championship (2006, 2010) and the Women's British Open (2009).
Miyazato's form has dipped in recent years, and she is now ranked 115th in the world. This season, she has not finished higher than 34th in five tournaments.
Miyazato spiked the popularity of women's golf in Japan after making her pro debut in 2004, winning five Japanese LPGA tour titles and becoming the first teenager on either the men's or women's circuit to earn 100 million yen in a season.
The youngest member of a golfing family from Okinawa, Miyazato in 2003 became the first amateur in 30 years to win on the professional circuit at the Dunlop Ladies in Miyagi Prefecture, where she was attending high school.
Miyazato, who has won 15 titles on the domestic tour, headed stateside in 2006 and won her first event in her fourth LPGA season at the 2009 Evian Masters in France, defeating Sophie Gustafson on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Fluent in English, Miyazato also paved the way to the United States for her compatriots including Mika Miyazato, Momoko Ueda and Sakura Yokomine.
Her last victory on the LPGA Tour came at the NW Arkansas Championship in 2012. Miyazato's best finishes at the majors were third at the Women's PGA Championship (2006, 2010) and the Women's British Open (2009).
Miyazato's form has dipped in recent years, and she is now ranked 115th in the world. This season, she has not finished higher than 34th in five tournaments.
- May 30, 2017
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