Whimsically wonderful Ryo Ishikawa is back on US shores, and not a moment too soon. While the PGA Tour struggles with a simmering scandal and a weighty rules issue, the young Japanese champion will bring a welcome breath of fresh air... and a rainbow of riotous color... to the 2010 Northern Trust Open later this week.
Ryo actually arrived several days ago, to indulge in one of his all time favorite hobbies: shopping. He's hit at least one California mall and been spotted at In-N-Out Burger. Talk about living the Southern California lifestyle.
The last time Ryo was stateside, was in October, as one of Greg Norman's two captain's selections for the International Presidents Cup team. He was the youngest player ever on a President's Cup team and won three matches at that event... including the famous one against Kenny Perry. Meanwhile, he also became Japan's youngest ever money list winner.
Never short on style, Mr. Ishikawa's English was somewhat limited when he was here last year, obliging him to speak through a translator most of the time and perpetuating his reputation as the bashful prince. But rumor has it he's been working with a language coach and is determined to answer questions in English this time around. That would definitely delight his growing contingent of US fans and with golf growing globally, it's a sound business decision too.OK so here's the thing. I may be posting about Ryo Ishikawa a lot... like, tons... in the coming days. He's that fun. For now, courtesy of top global golf news source, Mostly Harmless, here's Ryo playing in a type of Japanese Big Break with some other awesome Japanese stars. Cuteness personified.
Photos by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac
It looks like Ryo went to the Ian Poulter school of fashion design. ;)
ReplyDeleteA Japanese version of Big Break. So cute!
ReplyDeleteI think Rivera is going to be entertaining entertaining quite a few Japanese photographers while Ryo entertains the golf fans. ;)
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify, the players in that video are among the best in Japan already. Ryo and Yuta were #1 and #2 on the men's money list last year, while Chie was 3rd on the women's and Momoko is the 2nd-best Japanese women golfer on the LPGA (behind Ai Miyazato). So it's less Big Break (except for the skills challenges) and more like pairing Tiger and Lorena against Phil and Paula! Or, say, Poulter and Pettersen against Garcia and Nordqvist.
ReplyDeleteI don't speak a word of Japanese, but I know exuberant golfing when I see it. Great shots of the gals' swings. Helped me see what my release should look like.
ReplyDeleteRyo ROCKS!
Rory, Rickie and Ryo. Those three could make us forget about Grooves, Phil and Tiger...
ReplyDeleteThe girls in the video are wearing such cute outfits. The Japanese people seem to put a lot of value on color... its reflected in their clothes of course but also in their package design and even the food. We were at a Japanese restaurant last night and the sushi was almost too pretty to eat. :o)
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