Miyazato rises to No. 1 in LPGA

6/22/2010
ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Women's golf has a new No. 1 player in Ai Miyazato of Japan.

Miyazato leads the latest Rolex Rankings released Monday following her victory at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway Township, N.J.

Miyazato has won four LPGA events this year and this is the first time she is ranked No. 1. She replaces Jiyai Shin of South Korea, who became No. 1 on May 3 following the retirement of longtime top-ranked player Lorena Ochoa.

In Sunday's final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Miyazato shot a 7-under 64 to beat M.J. Hur of South Korea by two strokes.

Miyazato's first LPGA victory was only a year ago at the Evian Masters in France.

NEW YORK - NBC says its preliminary rating for the final round of the U.S. Open was up 35 percent over last year, and was the highest in nine years for a U.S. Open that Tiger Woods did not win.

The overnight rating was 6.9 with a 15 share, compared with a 5.1/12 a year ago at Bethpage Black, in which only the third round was completed Sunday because of rain.

NBC was helped by the final round pushing into prime time on the East Coast because it was played at Pebble Beach, where Graeme McDowell of Ireland won his first major. Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Ernie Els all had a chance to catch him.

The last time the U.S. Open earned a higher rating on Sunday with Woods not winning was in 2001 at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla, which earned a 7.0/17.

VICTORIA, B.C. - Retief Goosen won five skins worth $75,000 yesterday, while Canadian Mike Weir was shut out the first day of play at the Telus Skins Game.

Goosen, fresh from a poor performance at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, made five birdies during his nine-hole performance at the Bear Mountain Resort.

.