- Title: JAPAN: GOLF - Japanese golf sensation Ryo Ishikawa aims to emulate Tiger Woods
- Date: 25th January 2008
- Summary: CHICHIBU, JAPAN (JANUARY 24, 2008) (REUTERS) VAN CARRYING 16-YEAR-OLD PRO GOLFER RYO ISHIKAWA ARRIVING AT DRIVING RANGE ISHIKAWA COMING OUT OF VAN ISHIKAWA PICKS UP GOLF CLUBS ISHIKAWA GREETING PEOPLE ISHIKAWA PUTS ON GLOVES WIDE OF ISHIKAWA PRACTICING CLOSE UP OF HIS FACE SIDE SHOT OF ISHIKAWA SWINGING ISHIKAWA SHOT FROM BEHIND GOLF FLAGS ON SNOW-CAPPED DRIVING RANGE (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) GOLFER RYO ISHIKAWA SAYING: "Tiger's power is amazing. He captivates people. When he's playing a tournament I always watch it on TV." RYO ISHIKAWA'S NAME EMBLAZONED ON HIS GOLF BAG (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) GOLFER RYO ISHIKAWA SAYING: "Winning that tournament has presented me with so many opportunities. It was an important win that changed my life." ISHIKAWA TALKING TO HIS FATHER KATSUMI ISHIKAWA VARIOUS OF ISHIKAWA MAKING SHOTS CLOSE UP OF GOLF BALL BEING HIT MORE OF ISHIKAWA HITTING GOLF BALLS PEOPLE WATCHING HIM PRACTICE VARIOUS OF HI-TECH GOLF DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM CLOSE UP OF SCREEN ISHIKAWA AND OTHERS WATCHING DATA ON SCREEN MORE OF ISHIKAWA PRACTICING HIS SHOTS
- Embargoed: 9th February 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA3S6C95OE6WFT35030W34897YY
- Story Text: Fresh from turning professional at just 16, Japanese golf sensation Ryo Ishikawa already has firm plans to be just like Tiger Woods.
"Tiger's power is amazing," Ishikawa told Reuters on Thursday (January 24). "He captivates people. When he's playing a tournament I always watch it on TV."
Ishikawa shot to fame in May last year when he become the youngest winner on the Japanese tour at 15 years and eight months at the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup in an astonishing debut.
"Winning that tournament has presented me with so many opportunities," Ishikawa said. "It was an important win that changed my life."
His decision to turn professional earlier this month is predicted to net him close to $10 million in the next five years, a figure which could more than treble as endorsements flood in.
Ishikawa says winning the U.S. Masters is his biggest goal, adding that when he was a child he used to get up at 4 a.m. to watch the tournament.
Ishikawa was speaking at a private driving range in his native Saitama, north of Tokyo, after testing new clubs with the aid of hi-tech computers that instantly analyse every shot.
The high school student gets his first taste of life as a professional in Sydney on Feb. 5 when he plays in a qualifying event for this year's British Open.
Whether Ishikawa will savour the atmosphere of strolling along the 18th fairway at Royal Birkdale this July remains to be seen.
However, Ishikawa's remarkable maturity and single-mindedness suggests it will only be a matter of time before he is rubbing shoulders with world number one Tiger Woods at major tournaments. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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