Tiger Woods isn't at Innisbrook this week, but there are two other players in the Transitions Championship field causing quite a stir with the media.
Ryo Ishikawa and Yuta Ikeda, the two young stars on the Japanese Tour, are drawing plenty of attention, especially from reporters from their native country. Roughly 30 Japanese media members were on hand for a photo shoot outside Edinburgh Hall on Tuesday, where Ishikawa, 18, and Ikeda, 24, posed in front of a Transitions Championship sign.
Ishikawa is making an appearance at this event for the second consecutive year. Last year he became, at the time, the fifth-youngest player to make a cut at a PGA Tour event and went on to finish tied for 71st.
Ikeda is making his first appearance at this event.
Party with the prez
There is a good reason Padraig Harrington was given an afternoon tee time for Thursday's opening round. The Irishman probably could use the extra time.
Harrington will be in Washington, D.C., today as a guest of President Barack Obama at the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House.
"I'm looking forward to it," the three-time major champion told The Associated Press last week. "I want to meet one of the most charismatic people in the world, and the most influential leaders in the world."
Chip shots
Local pro Bob Heintz, a Clearwater resident, was among the four qualifiers for the final spots in the field at Monday's Open Qualifying at Fox Hollow Golf Club. ... Rays pitcher James Shields, on a team with PGA pro Brett Wetterich, won Monday's Shelton Quarles Celebrity Pro-Am. The team featuring PGA pro John Huston, a Palm Harbor resident, and Bucs coach Raheem Morris finished second among the 21 teams.
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