Ryo Ishikawa shares experience with Asian Amateur Championship field
Asia’s leading amateur golfers have been tasked by Ryo Ishikawa to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Asian Amateur Championship after the golfing icon addressed the tournament field at the event’s gala dinner this evening (Friday).
The two-time Masters and Open Championship participant provided an inspirational address at the historic Hikawa Shine in Kawagoe City on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, assuming the role filled last year by Gary Player at the inaugural event in China.
Speaking in English, Ishikawa shared personal stories of playing at the Masters and Open Championship with the leading golfers from the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, while praising organisers for the tournament’s vision for developing the game in Asia.
Said the 19-year-old: “With the chance to play in the Masters and The Open Championship on the line, this tournament will no doubt attract the top talent in the region and create a world-class amateur championship.
“I strongly believe this opportunity will give you the motivation to improve your game,” he told the 118-player field. “I would like you to do your best in this Asian Amateur Championship, so that it may open up new doors for you and the development of golf in your home country.”
Speaking of his experiences at Augusta National and The Open, Ishikawa provided ample motivation for his audience: “I learned two things that I will carry with me for my entire career. First, I need to be mentally tougher. You need to take your game to a higher level when playing in two of the biggest tournaments in golf. Another important thing I learned is that you can learn so many things from playing with great players.”
Ishikawa is already an eight-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, with his first victory coming in 2007 as a 15-year-old amateur. He celebrated his best finish in a major championship at this year’s Open when he tied for 27th at St Andrews. He is currently ranked 52nd in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The gala function came after the second round of this year’s championship, being played at Kasumigaseki Country Club, about one hour northwest of Tokyo, Japan. An invitation to play in the 2011 Masters Tournament awaits the winner, while both the winner and the runner(s)-up will earn a place in International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship next year.
Tokyo Broadcasting System is producing the world feed that is being distributed in high-definition to more than 150 countries via ESPN STAR Sports (Asia), ONE HD (Australia), TSN (Canada), ESPN Latin America, Fox Sports (Middle East), Sky Sports (New Zealand) and ESPN2 (United States).
Earlier in the year it was announced that Samsung and Japan Airlines would join the 2010 event as ‘Proud Partners’. The support of Samsung and JAL complements that of IBM, KFC, Rolex and Zurich, all of whom also backed the inaugural championship in 2009.
