Ryo Ishikawa set to miss the cut at PGA Championship after worst round of his professional career
While the sturdy American Steve Stricker was busy making history at the top of the leaderboard in the first round of the 93rd PGA Championship, Ryo Ishikawa posted the highest score of the day with 15-over, 85, also his career worst in any major
event.
This is the third time Ishikawa has made an appearance at the Atlanta Athletic Club but has carded the most disappointing round of his career after he posted an 83 on the Japan Tour.
Now resting at the bottom along with Brian Cairns, Ishikawa is now sure to miss the cut at the last major of the season although he was entering the tournament after pulling a joint fourth at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Golf Club and was
the only player who threatened Adam Scott to his wire-to-wire victory.
"I think this is probably the first time I hit so many in the water," Ishikawa said through an interpreter referring to the six shots he hit into the water hazard.
Ishikawa admitted that at one stage, the conditions got to the point that he even stopped counting his score and just went over with the flow.
Starting off from back nine, Ishikawa met his first bogey at the 11th, the second hole of the day. While trying to sink it on an extra attempt, the 19-year-old Japanese dropped another shot which thereby triggered a generous spree of bogeys for
the rest of the holes for the whole day.
Ishikawa’s card showed scores of another double-bogey at the treacherous 15th, a bogey on 16th, and another two consecutive double-bogeys on the closing holes before he made the turn. He stumbled on a bogey on the second and another
two double-bogeys on third and fourth holes to finish the rest of the holes for an even-par.
"The last five holes I felt my swing came back," Ishikawa said. "For tomorrow, I'd like to get that swing and have a good 18 holes." However, with the current score on board, it is a far cry that the Japanese heartthrob would be able to make the cut at the
last major event of the year.
The young prodigy is one of the most notable players in the world who have come out of Japan in recent times. A nine times winner on the Japan Tour, Ishikawa has vowed to donate all his earnings for the current year to the Japan Earthquake relief efforts.
He has earned $490,964 so far in the season with most of his earnings coming from the Japan Tour itself and will be giving out another $1,200 for each birdie he scores in the year.
Ishikawa also suffered a major setback in the Open Championship where he failed to make the cut at Sandwich last month. He also finished for a disappointing joint 30th at the US Open after a joint 20th finish at the Masters earlier
in the year. Ishikawa also missed the cut in last year’s PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.
Ishikawa has won several accolades in his professional career after he stepped into the professional sport in the year 2008. He was the youngest winner ever in the history of Japan Tour when he won the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup at the age 15 years and 8 months.
Although a thriving player on the home turf, Ishikawa has failed to transform his success on the mainland US.
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