Ryo Ishikawa was a lively presence in Tokyo at the Japan Golf Tour Organization's March 25 general meeting in the immediate aftermath of the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
"From the players' point of view, there are varying situations," Ishikawa said.
"But [the Olympics] is a worldwide celebration, and the circumstances in the world and in Japan are different, so this decision had to be made," said the 28-year-old, who is at peace with the verdict.
The basic quota for golfers from each participating country is set at two, meaning the world No. 97-ranked Ishikawa is third behind 22nd-ranked Hideki Matsuyama and Shugo Imahira at No. 41.
And the ranking is frozen in place.
Tours domestically and abroad have been forced to cancel events, so there's certainly no bright outlook in terms of him rallying to move up for an Olympic berth.
But ask Ishikawa about his desire to play at the Games, and he says, "of course."
"The situation is tough, but my feelings haven't changed."
Since breaking into the pro ranks at 15 years old in 2007, he has been at the center of golf in Japan.
And because he has been in the spotlight for so long, he has a real sense of the impact that the new coronavirus has caused.
As postponements and cancellations continue on the U.S. tour, announcements have been made that two major events in Japan have also been called off, and fans have voiced concerns.
"They said the time spent watching sports is entertainment that we provide," Ishikawa said. "It gave me a new -- no, for the first time I got a sense of our place in society.
"I hope we can return to them enjoying [sports] with no worries as soon as possible." But Ishikawa is against a quick restart of the tour. "Honestly, I wonder if it's the time for us to be playing events."
There's so much unknown about the new coronavirus, there are aspects that are not exactly understood about how to prepare for play and what is required to battle the virus.
In addition, there is a large number of Japanese seeded players as well as foreign golfers, including those from China, South Korea and Europe, who need to travel amid growing limits on entry at international access points.
"[Players] are unable to come and go at the moment, it wouldn't be good to play only with players who are in Japan now," Ishikawa said.
Ishikawa -- who last year finished a two-year term as the players union chief -- is the assistant chief, in charge of public relations this season.
"We want to figure out what it is we can do in these circumstances," he said, pointing out that athletes worldwide are using social media to express themselves.
"All of us in the union will work together to plan things out and figure how to proceed to get back to playing in April," an eager Ishikawa said.
He is currently training on his own, focusing on various ways to get into better shape.
As far as how often he gets out on the course, he said "about three or four times per month. About the same number as all the [reporters]," he quipped.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
