AI MIYAZATO SAYS GOODBYE, PLAYS FINAL EVENT ON LPGA TOUR
by LPGA News, Sept. 2017
EVIAN-LES-BAINS – Tuesday, it was standing room only in the media center.
Ai Miyazato waded through a crowd of photographers and journalists for a press conference at the Evian Championship, her final event on the LPGA Tour. It was the latest in a series of surprising retirements over the last decade by the game’s superstars including Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa and Se Ri Pak, who all either walked away to start a family or pursue interests away from golf. Ai, on the other hand, hasn’t yet decided how she’ll spend retirement.
“I think it’s a different situation how we made the decision,” Ai said. “For myself, it’s about motivation, so it’s more personal.”
In May, Ai surprised the sporting world when she announced her plans to retire at the end of the 2017 season due to a lack of motivation. Rather than competing in the Tour’s swing through Asia, which includes a stop in her home country of Japan, Ai chose to say farewell in Evian, two months ahead of the season’s end. It’s where she won on the LPGA Tour for the first time in 2009.
“I feel very happy right now and I’ve felt this way since I made the decision to retire, so there really haven’t been any mixed emotions or regret,” she said.
Ai is a 15-time winner on the JLPGA and nine-time winner on the LPGA. She won two majors on the JLPGA and none on the LPGA. When asked if there was anything she wished she would have accomplished during her time on Tour, she said there was just one.
“I have always wanted a pet, but couldn’t because of all the travelling I do,” Ai told LPGA.com via email. “I’d like to bring a dog or a cat, maybe both[!!] in to my life and I’m definitely going to adopt!!”
That answer is key to understanding the absence of normalcy in Ai’s life over the last decade.
From the beginning of her career, more than three-dozen Japanese media traveled the world following Ai, documenting every round she plays. Whether a putt to win on Sunday or an inconsequential one on Thursday, Ai’s career has been under a microscope.
“Through it all, Ai remained the nicest, kindest, most cooperative athlete I have ever dealt with,” said Sirak. “She has the most amazing heart and brain combo I've ever encountered. And, oh that smile!”
That’s the Ai the Tour has grown to know and love, and Ai will miss them too.
“It’s kind of a little bit bittersweet. I feel happy, but I’m kind of sad to leave at the same time because I’m going to miss all my friends on the Tour.”
What Lorena has done with her philanthropic work in Mexico appeals to Ai, it may serve as a guide for her in the future.
“What she's doing right now is inspiring. She's done so many things for the LPGA and for her country, too…I want to do something similar.”
But that’s a conversation for another day. Today, Ai walked away from the game. And as she stepped off the 18th green, the legendary Gary Player greeted her with a bouquet of flowers, as if to welcome her to a new group of golf’s elite. In Japan, Ai is already a legend in her own right and what she decides to do from here will only further inspire a generation of players back home.
She will take that enthusiasm forward, for as much as this week was an ending to her career in golf, it was a beginning to the rest of her life.
Link to article:
www.lpga.com/news/2017-ai-miyazato-plays-final-event-on-lpga-tour
