Ishikawa favourite at Dunlop Phoenix
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2009 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | Preview | 18 Nov 2009
The Japan Golf Tour is in Miyazaki in southern Japan this week for the now time honoured Dunlop Phoenix tournament to be played at the Phoenix Golf Club.
The tournament brings together not only the leading players on the Japan Golf Tour but several of the world’s leading players and a quick look at the winners in recent years confirms that. Two years ago Ian Poulter won the event, a year earlier it was Padraig Harrington and in the two previous years it was Tiger Woods. Woods also lost a playoff to Harrington in 2006.
The tournament was first played in 1973 and has been played ever since at the same golfing venue in the seaside city of Miyazaki which is on the eastern seaboard of Kyushsu.
This year’s star invite is Vijay Singh although he and any other golfer, with the likely exception of Woods (if he was playing), would pale in comparison to the rock star like following that Ryo Ishikawa will command this week.
Ishikawa finished runner up to Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng in the event last year and given that he has won four titles on the Japan Golf Tour this year, made a successful debut at the Presidents Cup and elevated his standing in the game considerably, the 18 year old will be both the tournament and crowd favourite.
Ishikawa’s near rival on the money list this season, Yuta Ikeda is expected to go well after a season which has seen him win on three occasions and get within just A$1,000 of Ishikawa on the 2009 money list.
Last week’s third placed finisher at the Australian Masters, Jason Dufner, is in the field along with the likes of Robert Karlsson and current Irish Open champion Shane Lowry amongst others.
The Australasian challenge is headed by the leading player from that region on the Japan Golf Tour’s 2009 money list Brendan Jones. David Smail, Paul Sheehan, Craig Parry, Steve Conran, Wayne Perske and Eddie Lee make up the balance of the down under challenge.
The tournament carries prizemoney of A$2.6 million.
