On May 29, 31-year-old Japanese golfer Ai Miyazato held a press conference to formally announce her retirement from the game. 

The golfer said her struggles to stay motivated, something she has been trying to overcome the past five years, triggered the decision to retire at the end of the season.

Miyazato has won nine titles on the U.S. LPGA Tour, the second most by a Japanese. She won five tournaments in 2010 when she rose to No. 1 in the world rankings.

In 2003, at the age of 18, Miyazato won the Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open in Rifu, Miyagi Prefecture. At the time, she was the first amateur to win on the Japanese LPGA tour for 30 years.

The feat earned her fame in Japan. She is seen here autographing a picture of herself at an exhibition in Tokyo later that year.

She won the Japan Women's Open in Yokohama in October 2005. At 20 years and 3 months, Miyazato became the youngest winner in the tournament's history.

In 2009, aged 24, Miyazato won the Evian Masters in France, clinching her first title on the U.S. LPGA Tour.

Miyazato's two brothers are also professional golfers. In this picture, from May 2017, she is seen with (L-R) her eldest brother Kiyoshi, her father Masaru, second brother Yusaku and mother Toyoko.

Miyazato will carry on competing for the rest of the season. She is seen here playing in the Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open in Toyota, Japan, in May 2017.


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