Ryo Ishikawa endeared himself to the passionate crowd again as they gathered to witness another triumph by the once ‘Bashful Prince’ who clinched the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters with a final round three-under-par 67 on Sunday.
Even as he just turned 33, Ishikawa continues to be the darling of Japanese fans – just as he did at 15 when he broke into the scene by becoming the youngest winner on the JGTO in 2007 and earning the nickname “Bashful Prince” –given for his charm, good looks and youthful exuberance.
The huge galleries at the Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course gave him another rousing ovation as he outplayed Hideto Tanihara and Riki Kawamoto by one shot to capture his 20th JGTO title and also his second victory this season with his winning total of 11-under-par 269.
“This win feels different because of the focus I managed to maintain for each shot, especially over the last few holes. It really tested my mental game. But winning again has also given me a renewed sense of purpose where I want to keep improving and learn from each round I play. There’s still a lot to achieve, and I’m looking forward to facing new challenges,” said Ishikawa.
Ishikawa entered the final round one shot off the lead but quickly made up ground by firing four birdies on holes three, seven, eight and nine. He dropped two shots on 11 and 13 and recovered with four straight pars before a closing birdie on 18 confirmed he would be the 12th player in JGTO history to achieve 20 wins.
“As I approached the 18th hole, I was focused on making a birdie as I knew that would give me the win. I chose a three-wood off the tee, followed by using a three-iron from about 230 yards. My approach shot then landed within 20 feet from the hole and I managed to roll in for birdie. It was so rewarding when I heard the crowd roar,” said Ishikawa.
Leading fourth round scores
(All Japanese unless indicated otherwise)
269 – Ryo Ishikawa 66-71-65-67
270 – Hideto Tanihara 66-69-69-66, Riki Kawamoto 70-68-65-67
271 – Mikumu Horikawa 65-73-68-65, Shaun Norris (RSA) 69-68-68-66
272 – Kazuki Higa 69-71-66-66, Shugo Imahira 66-67-70-69, Takanori Konishi 68-67-68-69, Taihei Sato 67-69-66-70
