Best Final Round. Ever! Ishikawa Fires 58 to Win for 7th Time in Japan

At times, it is difficult to maintain some perspective about Ryo Ishikawa.  Just 18 years old and barely a graduate of high school, Ishikawa is a total rockstar in Japan.  He won the Japan Pro Golf Tour's money title last year and, until today, had six career professional wins. 

On Sunday, Ishikawa entered the final round of the Japan Pro Golf Tour's The Crowns trailing Shigeki Maruyama by six shots.  Needing to go low to win, the high school grad did just that - in record fashion.  Ishikawa shot a final round 58 - missing a fifteen footer at the last for 57 - to win The Crowns five clear of the field. 

The 58 shot by Ishikawa is the lowest ever on any major professional tour.  On the PGA Tour, three men have shot 59 in tournament action - Al Geiberger, Chip Beck, and David Duval.  Duval did so in the final round of the 1999 Bob Hope to win the tournament.  The Hope is a 90 hole event.  On the PGA Tour, all three 59s were shot on par 72 layouts. 

Ishikawa did so on a par 70 measuring just over 6500 yards from the back member tees.  He began with nine birdies in the first 11 holes

The Nationwide Tour has seen three 59s as well.  The LPGA Tour has only ever had one - Annika Sorenstam in 2001 at the Standard Register Ping (also on a par 72).  The European Tour has never seen 59.

Though the quality of competition in Japan is clearly less than other tours like the European and US PGA Tours, Ishikawa has been demonstrating an ability to dominate and finish tournaments.  In other words, Ishikawa is playing at home and learning to win - the very most important thing for a prodigious young player to do.