Ryo not ready to unveil sweetheart

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Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa’s has changed his mind about presenting his mystery girlfriend to the world at the Presidents Cup.

Japanese young gun Ryo Ishikawa’s has changed his mind about presenting his mystery girlfriend to the world at the Presidents Cup.

A source close to the 20-year-old Japanese golfing celebrity told AAP on Monday that the girl, believed to be a high school sweetheart, will not be coming to Melbourne amid strong rumours that she is pregnant.

“He feels it would be too overwhelming for her to travel given the reaction to the news,” said a source who asked not to be identified.

“Apparently he has been swamped (by the media) since they found out.”

Ishikawa, who made history when he won a Japan Tour event at the age of 15 to become the youngest winner ever on any internationally recognised tour and then shot a 58, the lowest-ever sore in any professional tournament last year, has gone on to win nine events on the Japan Tour and has become used to an astonishing level of scrutiny – some say more even than Tiger Woods – but the revelation last month that he has a steady girlfriend has caused a media frenzy in Japan.

Her existence has been no secret for years in golf circles close to him, but, perhaps at her insistence, the young superstar has never introduced her publicly, and has declined to talk about her when questioned.

In the light of a disclosure by his mother last month, however, that “There exists a woman whom Ryo Ishikawa is going out with”, he may find it difficult to continue to ignore questions from reporters who are bound to raise the subject in Melbourne this week where he is set to represent Greg Norman’s rest-of-the-world Internationals golf team against the USA in the Presidents Cup

With his youthful good looks, long black hair, aggressive game and polite behaviour, Ishikawa is a marketing and media dream who reportedly owns commercial deals worth more than $40 million.

He has yet to win outside Japan – his best showing in a big overseas tournament was a tie for fourth at the WGC- Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio in August – but when he does, he can expect to become an even bigger golfing icon than he already is

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