First LPGA victory for Miyazato
August 19, 2012

Despite a lot of movement in the leaderboard on the Sunday’s final round of the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola, Mika Miyazato managed to hold on to her two-day lead to capture her first career victory on the LPGA Tour.

Miyazato finished 13-under par following rounds of 65-68-70 at the par-72 Ghost Creek Course at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club. She captured a 2-stroke win over Brittany Lincicome and Inbee Park to become the third Japanese player to win the event, joining Ai Miyazato (2010) and Ayaka Okamoto (1986).

The 22-year-old entered the final round leading by two-strokes over So Yeon Ryu and held on to her lead posting three birdies and one bogey for the round. Miyazato, who notches her fourth top-5 finish in the last seven events, earned a $225,000 first place check increasing her career earnings to $2,329,846. The four-year veteran on Tour becomes the sixth Rolex First-Time Winner of the season, joining Jessica Korda, Azahara Munoz, Shanshan Feng, Brittany Lang and So Yeon Ryu.