NDWICH, England, July 13 (Reuters) - Japan’s rising young talent Ryo Ishikawa will have no trouble catching the eye and gaining an army of new admirers at Royal St George’s this week although he may find the British Open winds harder to win over.
The precociously talented 19-year-old is already one of Japan’s most high-profile sportsmen and looks set to challenge Briton Rory McIlroy for major honours over the next decade.
“I’m not going to make the wind my enemy, I’m hoping to make it my friend and have some fun with it,” Ishikawa, whose colourful trousers have become a trademark, told Reuters after he finished his final practise round on the blustery coastal layout on Wednesday.
“The wind doesn’t worry me too much even though it’s different conditions to Japan. I’ll play my natural game. The bunkers are a concern though, they’re small and deep and nasty and nothing like the ones I’m used to in Japan.
“I love links golf even though I don’t play it much. It’s a different kind of game. I hit the ball high but I won’t try to change too much. I’ll just hope for some lucky breaks because the fairways are so undulating. But I won’t get angry.”
It is hard to imagine much riling Ishikawa, the teenager from Saitama who has taken Asian golf by storm.
Nicknamed Hanikami Oji, which translates as Bashful Prince, his boyish looks and stylish outfits have already made him a favourite across the generations back home and blue chip sponsors queue up for his signature.
He won his first professional tournament aged just 15 and last year carded a sensational 12-birdie 58 on his way to winning the Crowns tournament in Nagoya.
With nine titles already under his belt on the Japanese Tour and an impressive 20th place at this year’s Masters, no wonder McIlroy himself has tipped him for great things.
“I’m very happy that people like Rory are saying good things about me,” Ishikawa, who drew widespread admiration this year when he pledged his entire 2011 earnings to the Japanese Tsunami fund, said.
YOUNG GENERATION
“I’m hoping that I can prove them right for myself and for Asian golf. It’s great to be part of the young generation coming through with Rory and Rickie Fowler. We are all fighting to follow Tiger Woods I think.”
Like the American, whose swashbuckling style inspired Ishikawa to take up golf, he will be wearing red on the final day at Sandwich, providing the expected winds do not blow away his chances of lining up for the weekend.
“When I was a kid playing tournaments we all wore red shirts like Tiger,” Ishikawa, who sported black and white tartan trousers on Wednesday and once competed in bubblegum pink in the U.S. Open, said.
“I like wearing bright colours because I’m a young guy and I think it’s cool to mix it up. But hopefully I’ll be wearing my traditional red trousers on Sunday though.”
Ishikawa is paired with world number one Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia for his first round on Thursday morning—a three-ball sure to attract large crowds.
His day will start with a dish of his favourite Miso soup, prepared by his own chef who has also made the trip, although a good round might be celebrated with a hamburger.
“The only problem is I haven’t found a McDonald’s yet!” he said. “Everything else here has been perfect.”
While winning the Masters is his boyhood dream and he even has a private practise range seeded with the same grass as Augusta, the Open is not far behind on his wish list.
“It’s the Open….the home of golf and for me it would be amazing to be challenging this weekend. I’m excited for tomorrow and to show what I can do.”
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire