{"id":354896,"date":"2011-03-31T20:16:21","date_gmt":"2011-03-31T20:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/03\/31\/ishikawa-to-give-2011-earnings-to-japan-victims-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-03-31T20:16:21","modified_gmt":"2011-03-31T20:16:21","slug":"ishikawa-to-give-2011-earnings-to-japan-victims-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/03\/31\/ishikawa-to-give-2011-earnings-to-japan-victims-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Ishikawa to give 2011 earnings to Japan victims (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)\u2014Ryo Ishikawa<\/a> first made people take notice because
\nof his golf. He won his first Japan Golf Tour event as a 15-year-old amateur,
\nwon the money title at 17 and last year became the first player to shoot 58 on a
\nmajor tour.<\/p>\n

His latest eye-opening feat brought attention to his heart.<\/p>\n

Wanting to do his part to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami that
\ndevastated his native Japan, Ishikawa decided to donate his entire tournament
\nearnings this year\u2014plus a bonus for every birdie he makes\u2014toward relief
\nefforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t view this as pressure to perform, but it will instead be extra
\nmotivation for me,\u201d Ishikawa said Friday in an email to The Associated Press.
\n\u201cI always believe in myself, but because I am playing for the people of Japan,
\nI feel like I will be playing with a greater purpose this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ishikawa, who at 19 already has nine wins on the Japan Golf Tour, was third
\non Japan\u2019s money list last year with just over $1.82 million.<\/p>\n

He also has pledged about $1,200 (100,000 yen) for every birdie. He led the
\nJapanese tour last year with 341 birdies, which would amount to over $400,000.<\/p>\n

Even in a sport driven by charity, Ishikawa\u2019s generosity caught the
\nattention of his colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the most unbelievable gesture ever, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Geoff Ogilvy<\/a> said
\nFriday. \u201cI saw it fly past last night on Twitter and I thought, \u2018Ah, that\u2019s
\nnice.\u2019 About five minutes later I said, \u2018Hang on a minute. All his prize money?\u2019
\nWhich is ridiculous for anybody, but for someone who\u2019s 19 to have that level of
\nthought for others \u2026 it\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ishikawa was playing the Cadillac Championship at Doral on March 11 when he
\nawoke to news of the earthquake and tsunami, and saw horrific images of the
\ndestruction. He finished off a 65 in the first round, then struggled the rest of
\nthe week.<\/p>\n

He missed the cut at the Transitions Championship and Arnold Palmer<\/a>
\nInvitational, then headed to Augusta, Ga., this week to meet up with his family
\nand get ready for the Masters. Ishikawa is from Saitama, about 300 miles away
\nfrom the area hardest hit by the tsunami.<\/p>\n

Ishikawa said he has spent most of his money on making life easier for
\nhimself, from building a short-game practice facility near his house to buying
\nfitness equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel fortunate to be in a position to afford such things, but I know
\nthat my success is a result of the support of so many people,\u201d he said in the
\nemail. \u201cWhile golf is my profession, and I want to have a long and successful
\ncareer, there are things that are more important. And the people of Japan are
\ndealing with life and death issues as a result of the earthquake and tsunami.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel it is my turn to give back in whatever way I can to support the
\npeople who have been so supportive of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Known earlier in his career as \u201cBashful Prince,\u201d Ishikawa has become the
\nface of golf in Japan. He played 34 times last year, including one stretch of 20
\ntournaments in 22 weeks, because the tour and sponsors lean so heavily on him.<\/p>\n

Ogilvy is among those who understand the level of attention Ishikawa
\ngenerates in Japan. He was playing the Taheiyo Masters toward the end of 2007
\nwhen he saw a horde of photographers rushing across the practice green, cameras
\nover their heads to snap pictures. Ogilvy asked who they were following and was
\ntold, \u201cThis is the kid who\u2019s going to save the Japanese Tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s probably close to being the most famous sportsman in Japan,\u201d Ogilvy
\nsaid. \u201cHe\u2019s the Tiger Woods<\/a> of Japan. And a lot of people will see what he\u2019s
\ndone. It\u2019s another sign of how grown up he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ishikawa played for the International team in the Presidents Cup two years
\nago in San Francisco. He went 3-2, with the two losses coming against the
\nundefeated tandem of Woods and Steve Stricker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent a week with him at the Presidents Cup,\u201d Ogilvy said. \u201cYou don\u2019t
\nlearn a person in a week. But it doesn\u2019t surprise me. You spend time with him
\nand realize that he\u2019s a good guy. This isn\u2019t a PR thing. He must feel very
\nstrongly about his country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Word of his gesture began to filter through the golf industry Thursday night
\nand Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cRyo\u2019s unselfish pledge to donate all his worldwide prize money this year
\n\u2026 is an indication of the maturity this 19-year-old has demonstrated on and
\noff the golf course since he burst onto the international golf stage,\u201d PGA Tour
\ncommissioner Tim Finchem said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s unbelievable. I haven\u2019t heard of anybody doing that,\u201d Stricker
\nsaid from the Houston Open. \u201cIt\u2019s a great testament to what kind of kid he is.
\nIt obviously touches him pretty deeply.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt warmed my heart that he is the type of character we thought he was, and
\nhe continues to display it,\u201d said Gerald Goodman, who offered Ishikawa his
\nfirst PGA Tour exemption two years ago at the Transitions Championship.
\n\u201cAthletes from Japan are rallying to help their country. But to give it all?
\nThat\u2019s something.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hardest part for Ishikawa was being patient in deciding what he should
\ndo. Jumbo Ozaki, who is to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in May,
\nsuggested that Japanese players donate 20 percent of their earnings.<\/p>\n

Ishikawa decided to go even further.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to help right away, but I discussed with my staff and family over
\nthe past three weeks and came up with the idea,\u201d Ishikawa said. \u201cA number of
\nother Japanese athletes announced their support right away, and I felt a bit of
\npressure of jump in quickly. But I wanted to take the time to figure out how I
\ncould help best.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believed right away that it was the right thing to do and am very
\nmotivated to not only raise money for the people of Japan, but hopefully also
\nencourage them as the country recovers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

See the original post:
\nIshikawa to give 2011 earnings to Japan victims (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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