Ryo Ishikawa to donate all of his 2011 earnings to earthquake victims of Japan – Golf news
Japanese golfer Ryo Ishikawa has announced that he will donate all of his golf earnings of 2011 to the earthquake and tsunami-affected people of Japan.
The 19-year-old poster boy of Japan was playing in the Cadillac Championship when he was informed about the havoc. He was quite worried by the situation back home and ultimately it reflected in his performance which was not up to the mark.
The Japanese missed the halfway cut in two events, and then decided to go back home and join hands with his people in their tough times.
He pledged that he would give all of his earnings of the season in charity to help renovating the country and people, who have lost their homes and families.
He said, “I feel thrilled. My goal is 200m yen (£1.5m). I have enough money to spend for my golf. I still have savings. I believe this is the most positive way for me to spend money.”
The 19-year-old added that he discussed the issue with his father and big sponsors like Panasonic and according to them, it was the best way to spend money.
Ishikawa has a sponsorship deal with Panasonic for quite some time now and his total endorsement deals are worth 100 million yen.
According to stats, Ishikawa banked 151 million yen in 2010 alone. He charges 100,000 yen (£750) for each birdie he nets and if he emulates his performance of last year, he will be able to donate £1.25m toward the relief efforts.
Ishikawa is one of the youngest professionals on the Japan Tour. He turned professional in 2008 at the age of 16 and won his first tournament in 2007 while he was still 15 years and 8 months old. He has ten victories under his belt and has the honour of
being the third richest golfer on the 2010 Japanese Tour money list.
The teen prodigy will be competing in the 2011 Masters as the world number 45 against the top 50 players of the world.
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