Japan's Ishikawa misses PGA cut but gains respect at Riviera

Ryo Ishikawa's PGA Tour debut ended with an early Northern Trust Open exit, but the Japanese teenage sensation said he would build on this experience to get better in the future.

"I am disappointed I wasn't able to play all four days but I did learn a lot," Ishikawa said. "Even though I only played two days and missed the cut, I don't look at it as a failure.

"It gives me more incentive to work harder on my game to be able to play at this level."

Ishikawa carded an respectable even-par 71 Friday for a two round total of two-over 144. He didn't make the cut but neither did USPGA Tour player of the year Padraig Harrington or Fijian-Indian Vijay Singh.

"I have always dreamed to be able to perform on this stage at the PGA Tour," Ishikawa said. "Being able to play here the last two days has been a dream come true for me."

Ishikawa parred his first six holes Friday before running into problems with his putter.

"I really need to work on my putting," he said. "Yesterday I was really nervous and not so much today.

"I hit the driver well, I just wasn't able to follow up with some good iron shots and good putts. Pressure and nerves had something to do with it."

Ishikawa, of Saitama, was making his professional debut in the United States at this week's event at the Riviera Country Club.

Ishikawa generated a huge buzz for his appearance as a throng of Japanese media followed his every shot.

Ishikawa, who is ranked 67th in the world, will play in two more USPGA tournaments over the coming months.

He has also accepted a sponsor's invitation to the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Transitions Championship.

Already a two-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, Ishikawa became the youngest winner on the Japan circuit when he captured the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup at 15 years, eight months.

Still a high school student, Ishikawa has established himself on the Japan tour after one year as a professional by winning another event and finishing runner-up at the Japan Open and the Dunlop Phoenix event. He received a special invite last month to The Masters.

When he tees off at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, he will be the second youngest player ever to compete in the major.

Golf Channel show honors Stills' impact

Adrian Stills has a special place in golf history, former Woodham coach Michael Smith is helping youth athletes with special instruction, and the Civic Center can still create a hockey game, if a team should come.

Golf Channel salutes Stills1.

All these years, his place in history escaped Adrian Stills.

Fortunately, being part of a documentary reminded him.

Stills, 51, a Pensacola native and Catholic High graduate who now is head golf pro at Osceola Municipal Golf Course, is part of a program entitled "Uneven Fairways'' airing on The Golf Channel. The documentary delves into the former Negro Golf Leagues and the struggles of black golfers to gain access to courses and professional tournaments.

The next replay is at 8 p.m. Saturday, then again at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28.

Stills is profiled for his status as the last black golfer to qualify for the PGA Tour through the grueling Tour qualifying tournament. He did it 1985.

Others have come close. But no one else has made it. Tiger Woods, of course, never qualified. He earned PGA Tour status in 1996 by winning the Las Vegas Invitational, which jump-started his amazing career.

Stills went the hardest route.

"Until it was brought to my attention when they asked me to be part of the show, I had no idea I am still the last African-American to do it,'' said Stills, who played a full season in 1986 on the PGA Tour. "It's really special. I cherish all the players from that era and beyond like Lee Elder and Charlie Sifford, who overcame so much before me."

Lovable Gordie Weber fondly remembered

Gordie Weber was an all year round Santa Claus. He was big, had rosy cheeks and a hearty welcome for everyone.

Wednesday evening at Surrey Memorial, he succumbed to complications of a bad heart and diabetes. He was 83 and is survived by wife Garrie and children Craig and Gail and many, many friends.

His funeral (Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at Westlynn Baptist Church, 1341 East 27th in North Vancouver) will attract a who's who from the Variety Club, B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, curling, golf and his beloved B.C. Lions because he called people from every conceivable background friends.

He was the perfect Labatt's promoter in an era when the brewery not only sponsored sports but helped build them into bigger and bigger events. He sold more cases of Blue without ever trying than any 10 guys hired expressly to sell the product. That he got to go to about 20 B.C. men's provincial curling championships with his partner Howie Larke and almost as many Briers helped him keep his sales high.

But long before Labatts succeeded Macdonald Tobacco as men's curling's sponsor in 1980, Weber was immersed in things such as helping run the B.C. Open, the original name of the Canadian Tour pro golf tour event, with Sid Dahl, Al Nelson and Wayne Vollmer, director of golf at Morgan Creek.

As former Lions' president president Jack Farley recalled Thursday, he was responsible for opening a key door for the Lions to approach the brewery about helping the CFL team out of a financial fix in 1974. Weber ran linebacker luncheons with first coach Annis Stukus. And he and his wife Garrie continued to support the Lions as season ticket holders up until a couple of years ago when his mobility was compromised.

"He was a great community citizen," said original Lion Norm Fieldgate. "I think he and [former Province columnist] Eric Whitehead got the sports hall of fame started in 1966."

Former Vancouver Sun sports scribler Jack Lee said Weber, Bill Good Sr. and Ted Reynolds started the Sportsmen's Curling League at the Vancouver Club around the same time and attracted Stanley Cup-winning New York Ranger retired stars Babe Pratt, Alex Shibicky and Neil Colville to play.

"The last time I saw him was at the Doormen's Dinner, I think. Gordie did so many things to help charity banquets."

He was the Variety Club's chief barker in 1977, for instance. He was an honourary member of the PGA of B.C. and CPGA executive director Steve Carroll made him a goodwill ambassador.

"I met him when he was following me around Royal Colwood in the Canadian junior ['63]," said Vollmer. "We've been friends ever since. He was always there for golf. He had a big, big heart."

Brent Giles, 55, and third for fellow senior curler Rick Folk of Kelowna in this year's provincial curling championship next week at Golden Ears, said: "We became really good friends at the '82 Brier (Giles, Greg Monkman, Al Roemer and Brad Giles were runnersup to Al Hackner). He just made sure we were looked after."

Golf: Mischievous McIlroy a star in the making says Monty

BEARING a passing resemblance to Dennis the Menace with his shock of black curly hair, teenager Rory McIlroy has added a welcome touch of mischief to the upper echelons of the game, with his elevation to 16th in the world rankings. He's the youngest golfer ever to be ranked in the top 20.

Only the sixth teenager to win on the European Tour, the 19-year-old's impressive victory over Justin Rose at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday also offered more evidence of a switch in the balance of golfing power towards Europe.

With four of the world's top ten and seven of the top 20 at his disposal for Celtic Manor in 2010, it was little wonder that Europe's Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie hailed the young Ulsterman's performance in the Gulf as a sign of special things to come.

"We have a superstar here in the making," observed the Scot, "and when you think of guys like Alvaro Quiros winning the Qatar Masters and 2008 rookie of the year Martin Kaymer, we have some amazing talent coming through.

"Right now, Rory is at the head of that group. To do what he has done – leading wire-to-wire and finishing 19 under par on a course of this difficulty – is fantastic. To do it at 19 years of age is incredible."

What was most impressive of all about McIlroy's performance was that he appeared to have let glory slip through his fingers.

Six shots clear with six holes to play, the former Walker Cup player suddenly resembled a young man under pressure as he sprayed tee shots and missed putts. By the time the adrenalin pumping through his system forced a pitch to the 18th green to carry ten yards too far into the back bunker, it was beginning to look as if Rose's experience might trump McIlroy's exuberance.

Facing a downhill chip from the sand to a green bordered by a water hazard, the Irishman executed the most sublime wedge shot. His ball trickled within four feet of the cup and he holed out for a victorious par. "The best shot I've ever played," said the youngster afterwards.

One veteran who wasn't surprised by either McIlroy's resilience or his shot-making qualities was former Open champion Mark O'Meara. The American, who has been a friend and a mentor to Tiger Woods, played 36 holes with the teenager and rated him a better ball striker at the same age than the world No 1, who didn't turn professional until he was 21.

"Ball-striking wise at 19, he's probably better than what Tiger was at 19," noted O'Meara. "His technique I think is better. Certainly Tiger has developed his game and swing over the years and made modifications to be able to hit the ball pin-high, but Rory is already doing that and he's 19, so he's already a step ahead. He's going to win quite a few tournaments, not only on the European Tour, but also in America, too, and there's no reason why he can't win a major championship."

Even before he won in Dubai, McIlroy had clinched a place in the field for the Masters. He has dreamed of competing at Augusta ever since he watched Nick Faldo overhaul Greg Norman on TV.

Long off the tee and a superb iron player, there's no reason why McIlroy shouldn't make a mark at the season's first major.

Before then, he'll catch the eye of the American public when he tees up in the next two World Golf Championship events, starting with the Accenture Match Play in Arizona.

As a native of Holywood in Northern Ireland, perhaps it won't be too long before the teenager's name is also up in lights in Hollywood, California. Certainly, the emergence of players of the calibre of McIlroy and Kaymer on top of the continuing high profile of men of the calibre of Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and Rose bodes well for the commercial well-being of the European Tour.

At a time of economic retrenchment when even the mighty PGA Tour is playing for less money this year than last, the news that BMW will extend their support for the European Tour in 2009 by becoming the title sponsors of the Italian Open was greeted with understandable enthusiasm at Wentworth yesterday.

George O'Grady, the chief executive of the Tour, said: "To have BMW as a partner, with their renowned commitment to standards of excellence in promoting golf tournaments, is the envy of all other sports. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership in Italy."