Japanese teen golf star Ryo Ishikawa said Monday he wanted to prove his worth at this week's star-studded HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai.
"I used to say: 'I want to make the cut,'" said the 18-year-old high school student, ranked 36th in the world, telling reporters as he left for Shanghai that his aspirations had risen.
At this week's tournament, "each and every participating player is famous. I want to finish in the top 35 because my world ranking has been around 35 nowadays," said Ishikawa, who is known for his powerful drivers.
Ishikawa, trailing second behind Yuta Ikeda on the Japan Golf Tour money list after winning four events this year, is ranked one notch below Ikeda in the world.
The HSBC Champions, which has become a World Golf Championship event with prize money bumped up to seven million dollars this year, brings together the likes of world number-one Tiger Woods and second-placed American Phil Mickelson at the Sheshan International Golf Club.
Japanese players Ikeda, Shingo Katayama and Daisuke Maruyama are also competing in the event, which counts toward the domestic money rankings.
Ishikawa, who made his US PGA debut in February and has played 10 times abroad this year, said he was also prepared to battle another foe: the yellow dust from inland deserts which blurs the atmosphere in eastern Asia.
"They say yellow sand is terrible" in Shanghai, he observed, adding that sunglasses might be needed. "I hear that it is hard to see the pins on the course."
Ishikawa has got the green light from carmaker Toyota to play in Shanghai and skip a domestic tournament played in the same week under its sponsorship.
Toyota is among a host of big Japanese companies which have signed sponsorship deals with Ishikawa, who has revived the Japanese men's game after winning the domestic KSB Cup at the age of 15 in 2007.
Ishikawa, who turned professional last year, became eligible for the HSBC Champions by winning the Japan Tour's Tokai Classic on October 4 for his sixth career title.
