鹿児島の海外で活躍する叔父さん話題から今日はアメリカで活躍中の沖縄のうら若き女性の話です。
今週末はいよいよLPGAも米国本土で開幕です、アジアで2連勝の宮里藍の3連勝に期待しましょう。ニュースで取材地みたらカールスバッドとあったので、ゴルフ場どこ？とチェックしましたらLa Costaでないですか？Tiger Woodsがホールインワンを出したことのある、以前世界マッチプレイ選手権が開かれていたリゾートコースです。
かつては日系のゴルフ場だったんですが、今は確か違うと思います。メンバーの方のご好意により私も何回かラウンドしたことがあります、サンデェイゴに住んでいれば藍ちゃんの勇姿を拝みにいきたいところですが、遠くから応援します。下記英語のインタビューお時間のある方はどうぞ、時々通訳も入ってはいますが、英語もめちゃ上手くなってますね。
Kia Classic Presented by J Golf
La Costa Resort and Spa
Carlsbad, Calif.
March 23-24, 2010
Pre-tournament information: Ai Miyazato | Lorena Ochoa | Michelle Wie | Jiyai Shin
AI MIYAZATO
DAVID HIGDON: Welcome everyone today to the Kia Classic Presented by J Golf. We're joined by Ai Miyazato. Welcome. The beginning to her LPGA season, she won the Honda PTT Thailand Classic as well as the HSBC Women’s Champions event in Singapore, and if she was to win this event it would be the first time a player has won the opening three events on the LPGA Tour. Welcome to La Costa, Ai. Tell us about how it felt coming out of those first two tournaments and the way you were playing.
AI MIYAZATO: I was really happy that I got a really good start, and I didn't expect that I could win two weeks in a row, but I played really good, and I got such huge confidence after that, so I'm ready for this week.
DAVID HIGDON: This week for you is interesting because you now actually live not far from here; is that correct?
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah, that's correct, yeah.
DAVID HIGDON: Are you commuting or staying here?
AI MIYAZATO: I'm staying here because I might get traffic.
DAVID HIGDON: Ai recently purchased a place as well in Orange County and is enjoying her time in Japan and the United States. Questions, please.
Q. So what have you been doing since your last victory, couple of weeks off?
AI MIYAZATO: I played the Japan tournament after Singapore, and I came back to the States and had a couple days off and got a good practice and came here on Monday.
Q. Why Orange County? What city and where do you practice?
AI MIYAZATO: Because it's easy to get back to Japan; that's the first reason I picked Orange County, but now it's a really safe place, and I found out a really good Japanese restaurant, too, so that makes me really comfortable.
What was the second question?
Q. What city and where do you practice?
AI MIYAZATO: I practice at Big Canyon Country Club, which is a private golf course. Honorary membership recently.
Q. How did that come about?
AI MIYAZATO: You can explain.
THE INTERPRETER: The head pro there was nice enough to talk to the membership committee and they invited us -- they invited her into the golf course.
Q. You said that you were surprised that you won the first two. Why surprised? Going into them, how did your game feel?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I had such a good time during the off season but you never know what's going to happen in the tournament because it's really a competitive tournament on the LPGA. So I'm getting ready to win but you never know you can win or not, so that's why I got surprised.
THE INTERPRETER: What was the last part of the question?
Q. That was pretty much it. You kind of looked surprised when he said that you could become the first player in history to win three straight. Did you know that? If so, are you feeling some pressure because of it?
AI MIYAZATO: I didn't know about that so I thought -- but, no, it's good to have this opportunity, because it's a little bit of a challenge for me but it's just -- I have a chance to be on the LPGA, why not?
Q. A lot of good players have come through in 60 years. To be able to do that would be an amazing accomplishment, don't you think?
AI MIYAZATO: I think so. It's not really easy to do, but I'm just trying my best and hopefully results will follow.
Q. How does the golf course suit you? We've heard talk already that it's pretty long by LPGA standards. What are you seeing out there?
AI MIYAZATO: On the golf course first impression is greens are really small, and the rough is really thick. Feels like the Major Tournament, too, and the winds keep changing and that makes it really difficult, I think.
Just trying to hit the fairways and the greens and make some putts, so that would be it.
Q. Can you talk about having so few -- I think it's 13 tournaments this year?
AI MIYAZATO: 25.
Q. You had two tournaments, and then time off and these two and time off. Can you talk about how it is to win those first couple of tournaments and get those out of the way, get a roll going early when it seems like it may be harder to get into rhythm at some point?
AI MIYAZATO: I'm happy we have 25 tournaments, because it's better than 10 tournaments during the year.
And I'm also playing Japan tournaments, so that makes it a little --
THE INTERPRETER: And in that sense maybe it's a little bit different compared to other players and how they schedule their season.
Q. You're able to get into more of a rhythm because of the --
AI MIYAZATO: Yes, that's correct.
Q. So it's not a problem for you?
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah, I think.
Q. You've won a couple of times out on the LPGA. You've won in Thailand and Singapore, you haven't won in the United States yet.
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah.
Q. How big of a deal would that be for you to win in the United States?
THE INTERPRETER: To win in the States has always been my dream, since I was little, so if I were to accomplish that, I would then feel like a real champion.
DAVID HIGDON: Ai won her first LPGA Tour event last year at the Evian Masters, so that was her first LPGA Tour win, so that had a positive affect, but maybe, Ai, if you want to talk about how that changed your perspective and your play on the Tour after getting that first win last year?
AI MIYAZATO: It was huge, huge winning for me, because I got a little tough time over here, especially like three years ago, I think, I struggle with my driver so I literally couldn't hit my driver.
I feel like I got really good balance back, and that's why the Evian means a lot for me and gave me huge confidence, so I was really happy.
Q. Ai, you played well at Torrey Pines not too long ago, I'm sure good memories. For the women how would you compare those two courses? You made it sound like this set up pretty difficult. How would you compare the difficulty between the two? Is La Costa in some way harder?
THE INTERPRETER: You mean compared to Torrey Pines?
Q. Torrey Pines and La Costa.
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I would say the grass is different, I think, over here is more thick so that makes it a little less distance, but the greens are much softer over here, so it's kind of half and half, but Torrey Pines was like almost no wind, but it seems like over here is more windy, so La Costa is more difficult.
Q. What do you guys expect from Lorena Ochoa this year? Do you expect her play to be different now that she's married and has step kids and how do you think that will affect her game?
AI MIYAZATO: That's a good question. I don't know. I'm not Lorena, but she seems to be really happy that she got married last year and I think that helps a lot, actually, to her play this year, because she's happy outside of the golf course.
So she's ready to win and nothing change about her personality, I think. She is still a really good player.
THE INTERPRETER: I think only good.
