Ryo IshikawaMatt Slocum
TOKYO - Japan's top golfer Ryo Ishikawa has been fined $26,000 for pulling out of two tournaments in August and September, the JGTO Tour said on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old withdrew from the Kansai Open and last week's Toshin tournament, which he missed for the second year running, citing a sore shoulder.
But Japan's JGTO Tour took a dim view of Ishikawa's decision to pull out again and slapped him with the first such fines for three years on the men's tour as punishment.
"Rules are rules," the tour's executive director Andy Yamanaka told Reuters. "They are put in place to protect the tournaments. They are not rules only for Ryo."
Yamanaka insisted the Japanese tour would not make any special concessions to Ishikawa's enormous celebrity in Japan, where his grinning face looks down from giant billboards and appears frequently on TV commercials.
"Yes he's a superstar but he is also one of 200 (JGTO) members and everyone plays under one set of rules. You should not change rules for one person."
JGTO chairman Tadashi Koizumi said the organisation would "get tough" next year to tighten the rules and prevent players suddenly pulling out of tournaments.
"We want the players to support the Japanese tournaments," said Yamanaka. "They can't just pay money and take time off, so we want to amend the rulebook.
"Even if Ishikawa goes off and plays on the American PGA Tour he will still have to abide by our rules."
Ishikawa apologised and produced a doctor's note.
"My left shoulder felt like it was about to dislocate," Japan's brightest hope for a future men's major champion told the Nikkan Sports.
"The doctor told me if I played on, it would develop into chronic inflammation so I made the tough decision to withdraw.
"Last year I was playing in Europe so had to pull out. It's bad timing."