Ishikawa ‘whacks’ drive 367 yards

Japanese teenaged golfing millionaire Ryo Ishikawa has fired a warning shot to his rivals around the world.
Japanese teenaged golfing millionaire Ryo Ishikawa has fired a warning shot to his rivals around the world.
He is ready to add power to his play off the tee – and proved it this weekend by crushing a huge drive all of 367 yards in an exhibition tournament.
“I just let rip,” Ishikawa was reported to have told Sunday’s Sankei Sports newspaper following the event on the southern resort island of Okinawa.
“My target was 350 yards. I took a bigger swing than I usually do in tournaments and gave it the biggest whack I have all year. I’m very happy with the result.”
The wealthy, 18-year-old schoolboy, already one of Japan’s biggest celebrities, averaged just over 290 yards off the tee during the 2009 Japanese season when he won four tournaments to became his country’s youngest-ever order of merit winner, but for some time he has regarded length off the tee as a weakness in his formidable armoury.
So to help improve his distance, he has had a special driver designed for him which is reported to have cost Japanese sports maker Yonex over $1million to develop.
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