Who is the Bashful Prince?

It is well documented that 18 year old Japanese player Ryo Ishikawa is among the best young players in the world. But is he the best? Ryo's final round 12 under par 58 to win The Crowns Tournament on the Japan Tour last week was the lowest score ever shot on a major tour. This was some three years after winning his first tournament on the Japan Tour as a 15 year old. This kid's got game.

In 2009 Ryo became the youngest winner of the Japan Tour money list and won the tour's MVP award. This year looks to be no different. Ryo missed the cut at the Masters by a stoke but has bounced back from that disappointing setback to continue his dominance of the Japan Tour.

His best performance is a tie for 59 at the PGA Championship last year, which lags behind the more impressive performances of fellow young guns Anthony Kim and Rory Mcilroy. Having said that, Ryo is a lot younger than those two players, and has shown that he has the mettle for high level competition by posting a 3-2-0 record for the Internationals at last years President's Cup.

I suspect that it won't be too long before we see Ryo, nicknamed the 'Bashful Prince', challenge for victories on the PGA Tour.