Ishikawa ready for PGA Champs

TOKYO – Japan’s teen golf star Ryo Ishikawa says he will be delighted to take up an invitation to play in the US PGA Championship in August and become the youngest player ever to compete in the last of the year’s four majors.

‘It is an honour to be put in the record books and I may get special attention from the local crowd,’ Ishikawa said after receiving a special invitation to the major golf event, according to sports dailies Wednesday.
‘But age doesn’t matter when you go out there to play,’ said Ishikawa, who made his US PGA debut this year but missed the cut at the Masters last month.
At 17 years and 11 months, Ishikawa will be the youngest player to compete in a PGA Championship beating even US legend Gene Sarazen who in 1921 played at the age of 19 years and seven months.
‘People may look at me and ask, ‘Is that guy a pro, too?’ But I’d be glad if anyone in the gallery says, ‘He doesn’t look like a 17-year-old when he plays,” Ishikawa said.
The 91st PGA Championship will be played August 13-16 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.
Ishikawa has revived the Japanese men’s game since winning the domestic KSB Cup in May 2007 as an amateur at age 15 years and eight months, making him the youngest winner of any event on one of the world’s six major tours.
After turning professional last year, he won his second domestic title and finished runner-up at the Japan Open and Dunlop Phoenix event, ending fifth on the country’s 2008 money list.
Known for his powerful drives and daring plays, Ishikawa has struggled in readjusting his swing this season as he played in three US PGA events on a sponsors’ exemption before challenging the Masters on a special invitation.
He has made the cut only once when he finished 71st at the Transitions Championship in March. At home, his best result this year was 29th spot in the Chunichi Crowns this month.
But, as a hot marketing property laden with sponsorship deals, Ishikawa has been trailed by a horde of Japanese media wherever he went, including Augusta.
– Nampa-AFP