PORTLAND, Oregon: Japan’s Mika Miyazato will try to kickstart her 2013 LPGA campaign as she defends her only tour title to date at the $1.3m Safeway Classic starting today.
Miyazato notched a wire-to-wire victory, holding off current world number one Park In-Bee and Brittany Lincicome in the final round at Pumpkin Ridge last year.
The 23-year-old will try to defend the title at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, which is hosting the tournament again this year for the first time since 2008.
She said the change means she doesn’t benefit as much from her good memories of last year, but she likes the venue.
“It’s a new golf course, new challenge,” said Miyazato, who is also pleased that the tournament will be over 72 holes rather than 54.
“I like 72-hole play,” she said, adding that the extra round allows more opportunity to recover from an error.
Many in the field are returning to familiar territory, since Edgewater hosted the tournament for more than 25 years.
Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, still enjoying the glow of Europe’s historic Solheim Cup victory over the United States in Colorado earlier this month, is among the players who remember the course.
“I’m excited that we are playing this week since I’m playing good,” said Pettersen, who finished tied for seventh last week in Canada where New Zealand amateur sensation Lydia Ko successfully defended her title.
“I have all kinds of different memories here,but it’s an old style golf course. This is a place you have to fall in love with.”
Miyazato has just two top-10 finishes in 2013, including a third-place finish at the NW Arkansas Championship. She is coming off a solid showing last week in Edmonton at the Canadian Women’s Open, where she finished tied for 13th.
Park has pulled out pulled out of the tournament citing an illness with flu-like symptoms. AFP
