Ishikawa seeks first Japan Open title

Arguably the most significant event on the Japan Golf Tour’s calendar, the Japan Open, begins this Thursday at the Musashi Country Club’s Toyooka golf course near Saitama in the north west of Tokyo.

Designed by Seiichi Inoue the layout is one of two incorporated into the facility at the Musahshi Country Club. The last time this layout held the Japan Open was back in 1982 when Akira Yabe won the title.

Fresh from his outstanding performance for the Internationals in San Francisco last week, Ryo Ishikawa is the hot favourite to make it five wins for the season and to win the Japan Open for what most feel will be the first of many occasions.

Only a month past his 18th birthday Ishikawa is playing his third Japan Open Golf Championship. His best result to date was when he finished alone in second position four shots behind Shingo Katayama last year at the seaside Koga Golf Club in Fukuoka in Southern Japan.

The house full sign is likely to be put up on most days this week as the huge population base of Tokyo pursues the chance to witness first hand perhaps that country’s most exciting sports star. In a country where Sumo Wrestling and Baseball dominate much of the attention of Japanese sports, Ishikawa’s successful debut at the Presidents Cup has taken his profile and popularity to another level again.

In 2009 nearly 30,000 attended the event over the four days but given the location in 2009 and Ishikawa’s rising star then it is likely a record number of golf fans will be in attendance this week.

Shingo Katayama and Toru Taniguchi have together won four of the last five Japan Opens and it would seem that Katayama in particular has a chance to win another. Katayama has not won this season but has gone close on several occasions and his liking for the Japan Open set ups will work in his favour.

Taniguchi won just a few weeks ago in Hokkaido and could add a third Japan Open to his lengthy list of Japan Golf Tour victories while the hottest Japan Golf Tour player other than Ishikawa, Yuta Ikeda must also be a great chance to win for the fourth time this season. Ikeda won last Sunday in the absence of Ishikawa and just $6000 separates the pair as the number one and two players on the 2009 money list.

The Japan Open has been good to Australasian golfers with Paul Sheehan, David Smail and Craig Parry winning the event in the past 12 years. It is likely that either Smail or the leading Australasian on the Japan Tour money list this season, Brendan Jones, could continue that good record.

Jones finished third in the event last year and a victory would be just reward for the quality of his play in Japan over the last six or seven years and more especially in the last three. Jones played reasonably well last week in Yokohama when he finished strongly for a share of 8th position.

Smail won this event in and is having another solid season in Japan where he sits in 9th position on the money list. He tied for 8th with Jones last week and is primed for another good showing in this event. The set-up of courses for the Japan Open often suits the grinding type of player and Smail fits very much into that category.

Other Australasians who get their chance are Paul Sheehan and Steve Conran.

The tournament carries a purse of ¥200 million or A$2,500,000.