Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > May > 18 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USFamilies in Japan lose sleep
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The reactions on the 18th green were just as you would expect. The golfer raised his hands. The wife broke down in tears. The section of the gallery roped off for human Dogs woofed.
But the real celebration presumably was a half-world away in Hiroshima, Japan.
“Oh, it’s, um, I think
5:15 in the morning,” the wife, Kanae Imada, said Sunday as she wiped her eyes. “Most people are sleeping. Except for my family, and his family.”
“I’m sure they were watching on TV,” the golfer, Ryuji Imada, said. “My dad is probably still up. He’s probably still drinking.”
It has been a while since that whole, go-to-America, land-of-opportunity thing. But you wouldn’t know it by charting Ryuji Imada’s career. At 14, he left Hiroshima to attend a Tampa golf academy. He learned English. He become one of the nation’s top amateurs and attended Georgia for two years. His game graduated to the Nationwide Tour and then the PGA Tour.
On Sunday, 17 years after the move, Imada won his first tour event, in a playoff over Kenny Perry. If the AT&T Classic were going to fold without much in the way of attention or marquee value, at least the closing act came with a pretty good story line.
“When he made the putt, I remembered everybody’s face in Japan,” Kanae said. “Everybody — so happy.”
Now, how this translates in Duluth is anybody’s guess. But if a Japanese native and a former Bulldog winning the 40th Classic doesn’t prompt some combination of Sony, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nissan and Steverino’s Pizza to buy sponsorships, something is seriously wrong.
It was a nice end to a strange week. The tournament lacked stars. The conversation mostly centered on the title sponsor’s exit.
But that’s kind of the way things have been going at Sugarloaf. The club’s highest-profile residents have lost their revenue streams: Michael Vick, Lisa Ann Taylor, the golf tournament.
The finish was not without some irony. Imada finished second in last year’s Classic, when he lost in a playoff to Zach Johnson, his second shot on the 18th landing in the drink. This time, he watched as Perry’s approach shot sailed high and wide right of the green, bounced off a pine tree and rolled back across the green and into the water.
Even stranger was Perry’s comment later, “I hit a good 5-wood.”
No, Kenny: That wasn’t a beautiful 5-wood. That was just wood.
Perry’s gaffe, which resulted in a bogey, allowed Imada to lay up with his approach shot and play for a conservative par.
“That’s the normal way to play, I guess,” Imada said.
There was nothing nor- mal about his week. Imada opened with a rain-soaked 71 on Thursday, this despite forgetting to bring rain gear. He followed that in the next three days with a 69, 66 and 67, totaling 15 birdies and only one bogey.
There was a crowd of fourth-round leaders, most notably Parker McLachlin, who had a three-shot lead after an eagle on 13 but bogeyed three of the last five holes.
Perry birdied 13, 15 and 16 to take a one-shot lead over Imada. But on 18, Imada hit a 3-wood just to the right of the green, just missed an eagle when his 70-foot chip rolled past the cup, and tapped in for the tying birdie, sending it to a playoff.
“Last year it was the same scenario, but I was actually the chaser instead of, you know, being chased,” Imada said. “It was easier this time.”
He now has a win. He also has an invitation to the Masters. “It’s the tournament I always dreamed of playing as a kid,” he said.
English comes easily now. So does golf. He came over at 14 but never felt overwhelmed.
“All I ever wanted to do was play golf, so this has been fun,” he said. “To learn English, to learn a culture, it has been great.”
There’s something for the tournament to sell.
Comments
By mike f
May 18, 2008 9:20 PM | Link to this
Congratulations Ryuji, great win and with class.
By Proud dawg
May 18, 2008 10:29 PM | Link to this
For most of us true golf fans and enthusiasts that was one of the most exciting finishes to a tournament I can remember! Instead of having to watch only Tiger, we got to watch as the leaderboard kept changing and so many had a shot at winning it coming down the stretch! It was AWESOME! I couldn’t turn my eyes away!
By Proud dawg
May 18, 2008 10:35 PM | Link to this
And yes, before someone comments, I know Tiger was not in the tournament… I was referring to other tournaments…
By Ted Striker
May 18, 2008 10:36 PM | Link to this
Another good (and entertaining) column!
The comments about ‘combining sponsorships’ — as well as ‘Lisa Ann Taylor’s revenue stream’ were great insertions.
By w
May 18, 2008 11:23 PM | Link to this
Nice read. Nice win for the little guy. Great finish for a great tournament!
By W
May 18, 2008 11:24 PM | Link to this
Nice read. Nice win for the little guy. Great finish for a great tournament!
By captain Midnight
May 19, 2008 2:45 AM | Link to this
You better watch out Lou Dobbs will start campaigning to ban foriners golfers.
By Getaway
May 19, 2008 7:14 AM | Link to this
“It has been a while since that whole, go-to-America, land-of-opportunity thing.”
Really, Steve? A while? I wonder why we have a problem with illegal immigration, then. I wonder why we can’t process legal immigrants fast enough.
By Paddy
May 19, 2008 7:28 AM | Link to this
Get-a-way… we get to them when we get to them. Jeez, illegal ones we send home and legal ones we make welcome. What happened to our wall at the border, what is taking so long to build?
By Dave Tindall
May 19, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this
Delighted. Backed him at 40/1!
By Ted Striker
May 19, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this
Wall at the border?
Why bother? The immigration myopics will just clamor for an overhead bubble next.
Hmmmm…wonder who they blamed before immigrants and liberals were the scapegoats of choice
By Cindy
May 28, 2008 4:09 PM | Link to this
John Smoltz is partial owner in Acceleration Sports Insitute in Spartanburg SC. They shut the doors without prior notice to any members and kept all MONEY. What does John Smoltz have to say about ripping off all the innocent kids he screwed out of there dreams? So much for being an American HERO. http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/home.apx.-content-articles-SPA-2008-05-27-0022.html Shame on you!
By Ted Striker
May 28, 2008 7:19 PM | Link to this
Hey, Cindy. Pssssst. If you feel the need to complain about John Smoltz, why not save it till there is a column actually about John Smoltz?
Articles on Japanse Golfers = John Smoltz? Related Topics? Yes?
Ummm, to break it to you gently, Cindy — not so much
p.s. Businesses that file for bankrupcy normally do so because they’re out of money — not because they are trying to “KEEP ALL THE MONEY,” as you so eloquently stated