On Wednesday, Ryo Ishikawa announced he will be donating all of his 2011 earnings to the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami that devastated his home country of Japan.
AP..Ishikawa, one of the brightest young talents in the game, made the decision after consultation with his father and sponsors about how he could best help relief efforts in Japan, as the country looks to recover from the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit earlier this month.
The move could see him raise as much as $4 million to help those affected by the earthquake, which was followed by a devastating tsunami and complications at one of the country's nuclear power plants.
"I feel thrilled. My goal is 200 million yen [$3 million]," Ishikawa said of his decision. "I believe this is the most positive way for me to spend money."
Earnings from all Ishikawa's events - on the Japan Golf Tour, on the PGA circuit and in the year's major championships - will be included in his donation. He will also add 100,000 yen ($1500) for every birdie he makes. Last year the teenager earned almost $2.4in prize money - on the way making 341 birdies in total, which if repeated would add up to another $510,000 in contributions.
Ishikawa is one of Japan's most popular and famous sportsmen, having burst onto the scene after winning his first professional event as a 15-year-old amateur. He has nine Japanese Tour titles to his name already - and shot a 58 in competition in 2010 - although the current world No. 45 has only made the cut once in four events on the US Tour so far this year. He will tee it up at The Masters at Augusta National next week.
Last week, American professional Bubba Watson donated $100,000 to the relief effort, with Korean KJ Choi following it up with a $200,000 pledge of his own.
Bryan Angus
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