Ai Miyazato after her first win.

"I feel very happy at the moment. I was dreaming about this when I was young, so my dream has almost come true. I feel great."

"I went through a lot of tough times especially the last couple years. But Mic, my caddie, stood by me the whole time. We grew together as a team, and I'm really happy that we kept it going."

"When I had a good success in Japan I was still very young. I was just going for it, not scared of anything.

When I came to the States, I had to adjust to many things, like the culture, the language. Those things obviously played a huge part.

I don't think the length of time that it took me to win was that important. I just feel that the four years that took me was very valuable. "

Miyazato crossed earnings milestones

2009 Evian Masters champion Ai Miyazato (75-71-70-73=289, +1) crossed the $1 million mark in season earnings for the first time in her career. Tying her best LPGA career finish in a major championship last week with a tie for third at the RICOH Women's British Open, Miyzato earned $109,500 and is now fourth on the 2009 LPGA Official Money List with $1,030,900.

Rolex Rankings move of the week

With her victory at the Evian Masters Presented by Société Générale, fourth-year Japanese player Ai Miyazato became a Rolex First-Time Winner, and jumped up 14 spots into 13th-place on the Rolex Rankings. Miyazato (69-66-70-69), along with Sweden's Sophie Gustafson, finished with a four-day total of 14-under-par 274, but managed to birdie the first hole of a sudden-death playoff, to hang on for her first career victory.

Ai Miyazato becomes Rolex First-Time Winner at Evian Masters Presented by Société Générale
Outlasts Sophie Gustafson in one-hole, sudden-death playoff

EVIAN-LES-BAINES, France, July 26, 2009 -Winless after four years on the LPGA Tour with the weight of a country on her shoulders, Ai Miyazato - Japan's sweetheart - finally emerged victorious. Surviving the tournament's third sudden-death playoff in as many years, Miyazato became the second Rolex First-Time Winner at the Evian Masters Presented by Société Générale in three years. She defeated Sweden's Sophie Gustafson (71-66-67-70) in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff after both players birdied the 72nd hole of regulation to finish at 14-under-par 274.

"I feel very happy at the moment," said the 24-year-old Miyazato after earning $487,500 of the $3.25 million purse. "I was dreaming about this when I was young, so my dream has almost come true. I made a great birdie on the number two, and I feel really like confidence after that. So, I mean, I was really play good because I hit fairways, keep hitting the fairways, and I hit the greens."

Evian Masters champ Miyazato looks for back-to-back wins. Fresh off becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Evian Masters last week, Ai Miyazato is again in the hunt for a title this week at the RICOH Women's British Open. The 24-year-old is even-par 216 (75-71-70) through three rounds of play at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, four shots off the pace of leader Catriona Matthew. No one has ever won the RICOH Women's British Open and the event preceding it.

Miyazato is familiar with the links terrain at Lytham having finished ninth in 2006. Her day, which featured five birdies and three bogies, ended at 2-under-par 70 (32-38), her best tally of the week. With her victory last week, Miyazato climbed to fourth on the 2009 LPGA Official Money List with over $900,000 in season earnings.