Miyazato finds stroke, friends

LPGA golfer Ai Miyazato watches her drive on the ninth hole Saturday in Rogers. Miyazato, the 2012 winner, shot a second-round 71 to finish eight strokes off the lead at 6-under-par 136.
LPGA golfer Ai Miyazato watches her drive on the ninth hole Saturday in Rogers. Miyazato, the 2012 winner, shot a second-round 71 to finish eight strokes off the lead at 6-under-par 136.

ROGERS -- Emma Nevin's friend was skeptical when Emma said her father, Charley, knew an LPGA Tour player.

But any doubt was removed once Ai Miyazato spotted Emma's group as she walked off Pinnacle Country Club's 16th green during the first round of the Wal-Mart LPGA NW Arkansas Championship on Friday.

It didn't matter that Miyazato, the 2012 tournament champion, was in the middle of her round. She made a beeline for Charley; his eldest daughter, Olivia, 15; Emma, 11; and her friend. The pro exchanged greetings and gave big hugs to Emma and her stunned friend.

"She actually believed me then," Emma said. "She just stared, like, 'Hi.' "

Charley Nevin has been a member at Pinnacle for seven years and played in the pro-am with Miyazato in 2011, which afforded his daughters an opportunity to meet her a year before she earned her ninth victory on the tour in Rogers. They've been fans ever since. Olivia and Emma have made posters for her the past few years, both of which landed the girls on TV.

"It's pretty cool," Olivia said.

Miyazato is a central part of the mural on the back of the 17th grandstand. It faces Champions Boulevard, greeting attendees as they enter the course for this week's tournament. Miyazato has been a staple on it since winning the tournament in 2012, featured alongside fellow past champions and some of the LPGA Tour's big names.

Miyazato hasn't won since earning the victory in Rogers in 2012, a lengthy drought that included missed cuts at the event the past two years. But this week is shaping up as one of her best this year -- her 6-under score has her tied for 24th, the best showing among former champions through two rounds.

"Courses like this, you hit it in the fairway, you're going to have a short club, so it's all about putting," Miyazato said. "Putting will be the key [today]."

That course setup puts Miyazato in an interesting position. She ranked fourth on the tour in putting average in 2012, when she won twice. This year largely has been a struggle -- she's ranked 71st in putting average. But she's shown signs of her old self, sinking big putts while firing a 6-under 66 to finish third at the Kia Classic in March, her best showing this year.

She needed only 27 putts Friday while shooting a 6-under 65 to put her in a tie for third. Saturday, it took 32, and she wound up shooting an even-par 71.

"From 2010 to 2012, she was probably one of the top-three putters on tour," said Mick Seaborn, her caddie of 11 years. "We've struggled with our putting for a couple years now, and it's just coming back. We're playing well, and we have been for quite a while, but it's just how many putts we're making."

Miyazato wasn't thrilled after missing a makeable birdie putt on No. 9, her final hole Saturday, but she brightened up quickly when she spotted the Nevins standing nearby. She enthusiastically waved and headed over to chat after signing her scorecard.

Before the end of their chat, Emma asked Miyazato to autograph a tournament flag for her. The flag featured only a few scattered signatures, including Michelle Wie, who Charley Nevin also played with in a pro-am.

"Emma has a very particular group she wants," Nevin said.

Sports on 06/26/2016

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