Miyazato, Munoz tied for ‘lead’ in ANA Inspiration
Top-ranked Ko opens with a 70
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif, April 1, (AP): Ai Miyazato rediscovered her game last week. On Thursday, the 30-year-old Japanese player found herself at the top of a major championship leaderboard at the ANA Inspiration.
“I was kind of struggling the last couple years,” Miyazato said. “It was really hard.”
She made it look easy in her morning round at tree-lined Mission Hills, shooting a 5-under 67 for a share of the first-round lead with Spanish friend Azahara Munoz.
“I’m definitely happy to see my name on the board,” Miyazato said.
It used to happen a lot, especially in 2010 when she won five LPGA Tour titles and was No. 1 in the world for 11 weeks. She’s ranked 90th now after climbing 67 spots Monday with a third-place finish Sunday in Carlsbad in the Kia Classic. It was her first top-
(and) really felt comfortable on my iron shots. I had very, very good control of my golf game and my short game was there today as well.”
Former Masters champions Phil Mickelson, Charl Schwartzel and Angel Cabrera all posted 69s.
The 39-year-old Hoffman has been on the PGA Tour since 2006 and won most recently two years ago in the OHL
10 finish since April 2013.
The nine-time LPGA Tour winner has no aspirations to return to No. 1.
Short off the tee and in stature at 5-foot-2, Miyazato birdied four of the first six holes and closed with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th in calm conditions.
Munoz bogeyed the 18th hole in the windy afternoon session to drop into the tie.
Well back off the tee, the Spaniard hit her second shot into the right fairway bunker. With water fronting the green and wind in her face, she hit her third through the green to the back fringe. That left a difficult downhill putt that she did well to hit to 7 feet.
Munoz won the 2012 Match Play Championship for her lone LPGA Tour title.
Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace and Japan’s Shiho Oyama were a stroke back.
Long-hitting Lexi Thompson, the
Classic at Mayakoba. He has already locked up a spot in the Masters by finishing among the top 12 last year at Augusta.
“I was really relaxed and played well today,” Hoffman said, while adding, “but I learned a long time ago you enter golf tournaments to try to win them, not try to make cuts. Making cuts is a great thing, but we play to win, not to base a resume off cuts.”