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A former teenage star in the game of golf has qualified for the US Open, the next Major on the PGA Tour schedule. Ryo Ishikawa is 31 but has not been in the spotlight for a long time. However, he has secured his place in the third Major of the season following a 36-hole qualifier in his home country.
The golfer's fame spread when he became the youngest player ever to win a tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. This came after a stunning victory in the 2007 Munsingwear Open KSB Cup when he was not yet 16 years old.
Two years later, he was paired with Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood at the Open, which many believed confirmed that he was on the path to utter stardom. He, unfortunately, did not make the cut at this event when he was 17.
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Ishikawa was hailed as the next Woods. That has come with pressure for everyone who's ever been compared to the golfing legend and the Japanese star was no different.
In 2009, he reached the top 50 on the OWGR, but couldn't ascend much further than that. He peaked at number 29 before things began to fizzle out.
So far, despite six appearances at this Major, T30 in 2011 was his best finish to date. Now that he has officially qualified to return to the Majors, he is anxious to undo his poor performances and leave a lasting impact on the US Open.
Sergio Garcia back in the US Open
Speaking of qualifiers, LIV Golf star Sergio Garcia also booked his spot for the US Open.
Garcia was facing an uphill battle even within the qualifier, but somehow came out on top to qualify for next month's US Open. He said via Golf.com:
“It was such a key moment to me. I hit my drive nicely in the middle, then I hit a 3-iron so good, to 6 feet from the pin, and made the putt. That made the difference, but I knew I need one more [birdie] to escape a playoff.”
He continued:
“I played well, and I knew what I needed. I didn’t want to be in a playoff. I’ve done that before. It’s pretty scary.”
He also admitted that it was tough not to participate in the PGA Championship:
“I watched some at home on Sunday, but at the end of the day, I didn’t get in. I would have loved to get a spot from the PGA, but they didn’t have me on their radar.”
LIV Golf members can play in the four major tournaments as of now. Provided they qualify like every other golfer is required to, they can be in the field if they want. That means past winners and other various golfers on the rebel tour are frequently seen in majors.
In fact, LIV stars Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka were T2 at the Masters and Koepka won it all at the PGA Championship last weekend.
