Ishikawa gets Masters invite

Ishikawa: Fantasy

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Teenage sensation Ryo Ishikawa has accepted an invitation to take part in the Masters at Augusta in April.

The 17-year-old is poised to make his debut on the PGA Tour next month and was recently invited by Arnold Palmer to play in the Bay Hill in March.

The youngster, who is already ranked 60th in the world after a successful year on the Japanese tour, will now have the chance to fulfil a dream by teeing it up at the Augusta National.

"I got the call last night. Of course everything was in English and I couldn't understand it well. But I could understand 'Masters' and 'invitation' and that's when I knew what was happening," he said.

"It's always been my dream to play in the Masters, It's like a fantasy for me. I've seen the Masters only on TV. And now I'm so excited that I'm actually going there. I'll try not to be too nervous on the first tee."

The invitation is set aside for an international player with Greg Norman in 2002 being the last non-Asian to receive the call.

"At a young age, Mr. Ishikawa has shown the skill and competitiveness to make him a deserving recipient of this invitation," club chairman Billy Payne said.

"We see this as an opportunity to expose an emerging talent on a world stage and fulfill our objective to grow the game.

"I am optimistic that his participation in the Masters will inspire younger players and increase interest in golf in Asia and beyond."