Home hopes alive ahead of Asian Amateur Championship
10 young Japanese stars are poised to go in search of a place in the 2011 Masters Tournament and Open Championship International Final Qualifying tomorrow [Thursday] at Kasumigaseki Country Club, one hour north west of Tokyo. Such are the opportunities on offer to the winner of the second Asian Amateur Championship, which is being held on the Club’s West Course, venue of the 1956 and 2006 Japan Opens.
Kenta Konishi, who won this year’s Junior Open Championship at Lundin Golf Club, near St Andrews, has the honour of getting the Championship underway when he tees-off at 7.00am local time. While in Scotland, Konishi went to see the 150th Anniversary Open Championship, an experience which has made him even more determined to perform well this week.
“To get the opportunity to go to Majors would be a tremendous chance and honor for me,” said the 16-year-old, who won the 2010 Japan Junior Golf Championship here at Kasumigaseki in August. Last year, I was able to witness The Open after participating in the Junior Open, and I was very much moved by the great performances of the players. If I can participate in those two great tournaments, it would be a wonderful honor.
“I have played this course about 10 times so far, so I feel that we have the advantage to have this tournament held in Japan, and I would like to make the best of it.”
Another player who has enjoyed recent success in the United Kingdom is Masamichi Ito, winner of the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. Under the eyes of Nick Faldo and Rory McIlroy, Ito added the Faldo Series Europe to the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, which he won earlier in the year. The 15-year-old is sure to command attention when he begins his challenge from the 10th tee at 7.18am.
“I played better today than yesterday, so hopefully, if I keep on going up and up, I can do quite well,” said Ito, whose style of play and style of clothing has led some to compare him to the ‘Bashful Prince’, Ryo Ishikawa. “I think that, because I’m in my home country, there are many things that are to my advantage, but at the same time, I do feel a bit of pressure. My ultimate goal is the Masters so if I can play well for four days, maybe the result will come with it.”
And Yoshinori Fujimoto and Yuki Usami add further strength to the Japanese contingent. Fujimoto, 20, reached a career-high of 17th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in September after winning a number of events, including the individual portion of the Topy Cup, in quick succession. At 36th in the world, he is the highest-ranked of the Japanese competitors.
2009 Japanese Amateur Champion Usami, meanwhile, made the world of amateur golf look up and take notice when he defeated Australia’s current number one Kieran Pratt – Pratt is playing in the Asian Amateur Championship this week – to reach the last-16 in the Amateur Championship at Muirfield.
But though the quartet of Konishi, Ito, Fujimoto and Usami may be the most fancied of the Japanese players, each and every one of the 10 has a chance to earn their place in a Major Championship, where they would rub shoulders with the world’s best on the hallowed fairways of Augusta National or Royal St George’s.
Follow their progress on AsianAmateurChampionship.com with live scoring, regularly updated reports and live coverage.
