Mika Miyazato Goes Wire-to-Wire at Japan Women's Open

Mika Miyazato had the field going "Mika, Mika, Mika, Mika!" (think "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!") at the Japan Women's Open this week.  It's strangely fitting that the 1st Japanese golfer to start her professional career on the LPGA made the most prestigious tournament in women's golf in Japan her maiden win as a pro.  And she did it in style, going wire-to-wire and beating world #1 Ai Miyazato by 12 shots, #4 Ya Ni Tseng by 16, #6 Na Yeon Choi by 9, #9 Song-Hee Kim by 18, #16 Sakura Yokomine by 11,  #17 Sun-Ju Ahn by 7, and #19 Chie Arimura by 8.  In so doing, she made up for her collapse after getting to -12 in the final round of last year's JWO.  Her final-round 68 was her 3rd sub-70 round of the week--nobody else in the field broke 70 more than once--and it brought her to -12 in this year's edition.

Mikan won over 28 million yen for her efforts.  But you won't find her on the JLPGA money list.  Just like Paula Creamer several years ago, Ji-Yai Shin a couple of years ago, and Morgan Pressel this year, Mikan's winnings are unofficial.  Like them, she now has the choice of whether to join the JLPGA (either right away or starting next season).  While she and Pressel make up their minds, money-list leader Sun-Ju Ahn's final-round 67 got her near the 90 million yen mark for the 2010 season and extended her lead on Sakura Yokomine to more than 20 million yen. Ahn has a fantastic chance to become the 1st-ever Korean and 2nd-ever non-Japanese money-list leader. (Ai-Yu Tu of Taiwan accomplished this feat in 1982-1986, 1989, and 1991. She was as dominant back then as Yuri Fudoh was in the 2000s and Hisako Higuchi in the 1st decade of the JLPGA's existence!)