Ai Miyazato and the torrid tradewinds — two cherished forces of nature — helped Hawaii welcome back the LPGA at the inaugural LPGA Lotte Championship.
Miyazato, grinning and gracefully grinding in Saturday’s 20-mph breeze, ultimately ran away from a field packed with the finest female players in the world.
She shot 2-under-par 70 in the final round at Ko Olina Golf Club, where she had at least a share of first for the final 40 holes. Miyazato’s 12-under 276 total gave her a four-shot victory in the LPGA’s 43rd stop in Hawaii — but first since 2009.
“I am so excited,” said Miyazato, who finds comfort in Hawaii’s similarities to her Okinawan home. “This is a perfect place for a golf tournament, so I just appreciate Lotte having us this week.
“It’s really nice to come back next year to defend my title. The season still has a long way to go, but I can’t wait to come back next year.”
Meena Lee (70) and Azahara Munoz (71), who were tied with Miyazato when she made the turn, shared second at 280.
It is Munoz’s second runner-up finish since she joined the LPGA in 2010 and became the first Spaniard to win rookie of the year.
She caught Miyazato at 10 under on the eighth hole, with her second monstrously long birdie putt. But she played the back nine in 2 over — not nearly enough for her first win.
That left Lee — whose last win was the 2006 Fields Open at Ko Olina — as the only one standing between the tiny Miyazato and her eighth LPGA victory.
Playing two groups ahead of Munoz and Miyazato, the 31-year-old from Seoul three-putted the 14th to fall a shot back.
Both birdied the 15th — Miyazato’s third birdie putt of the day outside 20 feet — and one-putted the next hole for par.
While Lee was three-putting the last hole for double bogey, Miyazato plopped her second shot to within 10 feet at the 17th. She buried that birdie putt into the heart of the hole, the final dagger into the wind.
“Ai didn’t really give me a chance …,” said Munoz, who played with the world’s eighth-ranked player all four days and probably spoke for everyone. “She played really well at the end. She made really nice putts, amazing up and downs.”
Miyazato is an amazing personality, particularly in Japan, where she is revered for her talent and humility and adored for her sweet personality.
The 26-year-old has won 15 times in Japan and was No. 1 in the world after winning five LPGA events in 2010.
Last year she won just once and devoted much time, with fellow pros Momoko Ueda and Mika Miyazato, to Makeruna Nippon (Never Give up on Japan). Their project raised $130,000 for victims of the earthquake and tsunami and they aren’t done, Miyazato insisted Saturday.
She is also not done chasing top-ranked Yani Tseng. This was Miyazato’s fifth top-six finish in six starts this season. Twice before, she was second to Tseng.
Not this time. Miyazato ducked the wind and all heavyweight challengers in Hawaii. Tseng, Cristie Kerr and Jiyai Shin, who have all also been ranked No. 1 in the past two years, were within four shots going into the final day.
None made a move and Miyazato wasn’t backing up.
“I just kept saying to myself just be patient and no rush,” Miyazato said. “Take one shot at a time and see what’s going to happen. I had lots of good self-talk today, and that’s why I think I shot 2 under today.”
Ayaka Kaneko, the only Hawaii player to survive the cut, closed with a 79 to fall from 32nd to 67th. She won $3,696, giving her a little more than $10,000 for the year.
Kaneko, in her first full LPGA season, will try to make her fourth consecutive cut this week at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic in Alabama. Hawaii’s Stephanie Kono will also be there. Michelle Wie is not in the field.
