A STAR IN THE REMAKING

Is it possible that the next big thing in golf is only 5 feet 2? That would be precocious Japanese teenager Ai Miyazato, at 19 already a sensation in her country, complete with a traveling media contingent, a hefty following of fans back home and a dream of making it big on the LPGA Tour.

This week at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Miyazato makes her U.S. debut at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the LPGA’s first major of the year, playing with a sponsor’s exemption. But Miyazato is already on the fast track and a major star in Japan.

Women’s golf is more popular on television than men’s golf in Japan, according to LPGA Commissioner Ty Votaw.

“Ai Miyazato is responsible for that,” he said. “She’s certainly captured the imagination of Japan with her golf, much like Tiger Woods did in men’s golf and Annika Sorenstam on our tour.”

When Miyazato was 17, she was the first amateur in 30 years to win on the Japanese women’s pro circuit. Last year at 18, in her fourth tournament since turning pro, she became the youngest player to win on the Japanese LPGA Tour.

She won four more times last year, was the first Japanese teen to earn more than $1 million in a year, then broke the course record with a final round 67 in South Africa to help Japan beat South Korea and the Philippines in the Women’s World Cup when no one else shot better than a 72.

Last month in Brisbane, Australia, at the ANZ Ladies Masters at Royal Pines, Miyazato opened with a course record-tying 63 but ended up losing by one shot to 30-year-old Karrie Webb.

Afterward, Webb, already a member of the LPGA Hall of Fame, said she had seen the future and felt fortunate not to have been blinded by it.

“I think I’m pretty lucky to get one off her now because in a few years we’ll be seeing her in the winner’s circle more and more,” Webb said.

Webb also said that when Miyazato believes it’s time to play in the U.S., she’s going to be successful. And this week might be as good as any to find out: tough course, demanding conditions, talented field, media scrutiny and heavy pressure.

If there is going to be a Miyazato moment, why not just go ahead and pair her with 15-year-old Michelle Wie, hand them their sticks and let them go at it?

“Maybe we’ll be seeing the future of women’s golf,” Votaw said.

As for history, there isn’t a rich one for Japanese women who made it big on the LPGA tour -- with two notable exceptions. Hisako “Chako” Higuchi was the first Asian woman to win on the tour when she took the 1977 LPGA Championship. Ayako Okamoto won 17 times on the tour.

No Japanese have won on the LPGA tour since Akiko Fukushima in 1999, so Miyazato has a chance to reverse a trend if she reaches her goal of playing the tour full-time in 2006. Although Japanese players have had trouble making inroads on the tour, their counterparts from South Korea, led by Se Ri Pak, have enjoyed an unprecedented run of success.

Votaw said a revitalized Japanese LPGA may be on the verge of turning things around and that Miyazato may be on the cutting edge.

“Whether she is someone that can come over here and bridge that cultural gap,” the commissioner said, “then break the logjam of Japanese players, like the Korean players have already done, I guess time will tell on that.”

So will her game. Despite Miyazato’s size, her distance off the tee is impressive, about 250 yards on average. That would put her in about the top 50 on the tour, 20 yards behind Sophie Gustafson’s average of 270 yards that led the tour last year.

Votaw, who played in a pro-am with Miyazato last year at the Mizuno, said he’s never seen anyone send the ball on a higher trajectory after contact.

“Even though she’s like a pixie,” he said. “She’s delightful, charismatic, great for golf.”

Nikki Campbell of Australia, who played the Australian Masters, came away with a favorable impression of Miyazato.

“Ai has no weaknesses, she’s full of confidence,” Campbell said. “She hits it very straight and she is an exceptional putter.”

Katherine Hull, another Australian player who was paired at Royal Pines with Miyazato, said she is deceivingly long.

“She packs a punch. She hits a big ball for her size,” Hull said.

Born in Higashi Village, in the northern part of Okinawa, Miyazato began taking lessons at the age of 4 from her golf pro father, Masaru. Her brothers, Kiyoshi and Yusaku, are also professionals. Miyazato won the Okinawa Juniors three times and, at 14, played in the Japan LPGA’s Suntory tournament and was 23rd.

At Tohoku Senior High, she received special golf training, then was chosen top amateur in 2001. She won a gold medal the next year at the Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea.

Whatever Miyazato does at Mission Hills against top competition, it’s going to draw a lot more interest than she usually does. Her media gallery of more than 30 in the first round at Royal Pines was given a warning by tournament officials for causing delays in play.

Besides reporters, photographers and cameramen, there were also a crew of 20 to film a documentary of Miyazato’s sudden rush to fame.

So far, 34 Japanese reporters, photographers and technicians from 19 accredited news outlets have been credentialed for the Kraft Nabisco.

When she won the Japanese LPGA last year the same weekend that Woods won an event in Japan (the Dunlop Phoenix), the television ratings for Miyazato’s triumph trumped Woods, 11.0 to 2.6.

Her manager, Yuji “Dave” Otsuka, says she is bigger than English soccer star David Beckham in Japan. The Ai Miyazato calendar is on the market, but you can’t find one because it’s sold out.

She also has several television advertisements, one for Suntory, Japan’s leading producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages, even though she can’t sample any of the products because she has not yet reached the legal drinking age of 20.

Miyazato prefers the U.S. band Green Day to traditional Japanese music, her favorite movie star is Brad Pitt, her favorite movie is “Troy” and she is planning on becoming the No. 1 player in the world.

That would mean Miyazato would have to unseat Sorenstam, her idol. They went head to head at the Mizuno Classic in November and Sorenstam won; Miyazato shot a 63 on Sunday and tied for second.

Miyazato likes Sorenstam so much, she has changed her autograph from “Ai” to “Ai 54,” in honor of Sorenstam, who espouses a philosophy called “Vision 54,” or a birdie at every hole.

When Miyazato’s media overran the course at Royal Pines, the group playing ahead of Miyazato complained the most. In that group was Sorenstam’s sister, Charlotta. Maybe Miyazato will give Annika something to complain about in, say, 2006.