Miyazato an eight shot winner at Vernal Ladies
IN: News | Japan Ladies | Vernal Ladies (2005) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 15 May 2005
Perhaps and arguably the most talented player in the female game outside Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa, Ai Miyazato, has today won the rich Vernal Ladies tournament at the Fukuoka Century Golf Club in Kyushu, Japan.
Miyazato, who took the JLPGA by storm last year in her rookie season, winning five times and finishing behind only the brilliant Yuri Fudoh on the JLPGA money list, won her first event of 2005 when she extended her six shot overnight lead to eight. Miyazato has been twice second this year, in Australia to Karrie Webb and to Michiko Hattori at the JLPGA season opening Studio Alice event. The experienced Akiko Fukushima finished in second place, one ahead of Korean Eun-Hye Lee with South Australian Tamie Durdin one shot back in fourth place.
Durdin dropped four shots in the closing six holes costing herself a lot of money given the purse here this week. Despite this her cheque for ¥7.2 million (A$88,000) will be the highest she has earned in professional golf, even bigger than her third place at the Shoprite event on the USLPGA Tour in 2001. This follows a fourth placing just two weeks ago.
Nikki Campbell was 13th, continuing another good season for her in Japan.
The Japan Golf Tour now heads to the Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open starting Friday.
