Early one morning a couple of weeks ago, a lone golfer was observed on the range at Dove Mountain, hitting balls in the chill desert air. It was Ryo Ishikawa. GolfWeek writer Jim McCabe described the scene, including the gaggle of photographers sprawled on the frosty grass nearby, dutifully doing their job.
Ryo is back on the scene this week for the star-studded WGC Cadillac Championship and at 19 he's the youngest in the field. As expected, he's adding characteristic color to the proceedings. At today's practice round he wore multi-chromatic Yonex stripes. Always observant Ishikawa fan Noriko Imada, sent me a link to the photo above just a few minutes ago.
BTW, did you know there was a Magazine in Japan that's exclusively about Ryo. Issue after issue, it's pure "Hanikami Ōji"... and even if your Japanese reading skills aren't quite up to par, it features fantastic photos and whimsical graphics. found out about it from another huge fan, @pipaatgreen ... who you should definitely follow if you're into Ishikawa.
The youthful trio tees off at 12:33 on Thursday.
That is quite a young group. I wonder if Ryo is taking away at all from Ai Miyazato's popularity in Japan. They are a fun culture.
ReplyDeletePaula Creamer has a huge following over there. She has her own calendar there year after year- though none here!
Of course Morgan Pressel won a major over there last year, The Salonpas Cup. I'm sure she will attempt to defend this year.
Ryo seems like a charming kid. Tough to have all the attention from the Japanese media following his every move.
Love the Ryo magazine!
ReplyDeleteRickie and Ryo both come from countries where golf is mainstream. While it may be considered to be a "rich man's sport" by some, the government doesn't see it as subversive and shameful. That's what Jhonny Vegas has to deal with and I imagine it can be an additional challenge. They'll definitely be the hot pairing to watch tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThe kid's got charisma, no doubt about it. That in addition to his huge talent.
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