Unrelated Mika and Ai Miyazato finished first and second after the second round of the US Women’s Open on Saturday, setting up a third-round pairing for the two golf prodigies from Okinawa, Japan.
Mika shot four-under 67 to take the lead at the halfway point at five-under 137. That was one shot ahead of Ai, who is four years older than Mika and leads her 6-0 in the LPGA Tour win column.
No wonder, then, that Mika has no problem when people mix the two up every once in a while.
Photo: AFP
“Everybody thinks we’re sisters,” Mika said. “That way, everybody can remember me, because Ai is playing great.”
After bad weather suspended Saturday’s third round, the USGA was planning to send threesomes off from the first and 10th tees yesterday and would not re-pair the groups after the third round. It brings up the prospect, however slight, of having a victory celebration on the ninth green.
The Miyazatos will be grouped with South Korea’s I.K. Kim, who is two shots back at three-under, after leading during Friday’s delayed second round.
Photo: AFP
Not that the weather delays have worried the South Korean.
“I just got a new iPad, so I’m pretty excited,” she said. “I have plenty of time to play games and everything. So I’m not worried. I will definitely do some power napping this afternoon before I go out.”
The only other players to reach the halfway point under par were Stacy Lewis and Ryann O’Toole, both at one-under. Defending champion Paula Creamer was in a six-way tie at even-par. Taiwan’s Yani Tseng, trying to complete her career Grand Slam, was four-over, nine shots off the lead, tied with compatriot Candie Kung.
Lewis led for much of the second round, before making bogey and double-bogey in the hour after play resumed following a rain delay on Friday evening. She shot 73 in the second round.
“I felt awful last night,” said Lewis, who won the year’s first major, the Nabisco. “I didn’t feel much better when I woke up. It was just really tiring to me. I’ve played 36 holes before, but not on a golf course like this.”
Indeed, the Broadmoor is taking a hunk out of these players. It’s a 7,000-yard monster — a long walk on a normal day, let alone a multiple-round grind. Rounds averaged about five-and-a-half hours on Saturday.
“It’s really, really tough to play,” Ai Miyazato said. “I’m kind of tired already.”
A few months ago, the Miyazatos banded together with another Japanese player, Momoko Ueda, to create a Web site to attract donations for victims of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated their country in March. They wear buttons with Japanese lettering that translates to “Never Give Up Japan.”
Mika has pledged all of her winnings from this year’s major championships to the disaster victims. Her top 10 finishes at the Nabisco and US LPGA netted more than US$100,000. First-place money this week will be about US$600,000.
“For me, winning majors is what I strive for and to donate all of my earnings from the majors, I hope to give positive things to the people who are around the disaster area,” Mika Miyazato said.
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