Imada's Breakthrough Season in Full Swing
By Mike Waters
The Post-Standard
Oct. 8, 2008
When he was just 7 years old, Ryuji Imada tagged along with his older brother, Takasunni, to the golf course.
Seven years later, Imada left his family and his native Japan and moved to the United States to pursue his dream of playing on the PGA Tour. He spoke no English and knew no one.
"It was a huge step, but that's what I wanted to do," Imada said. "I wanted to play golf and all I watched growing up was PGA Tour golf. That's where I wanted to play golf."
Imada's dream is now a reality, but the 2008 season has lifted Imada beyond his wildest dreams. After a pair of second-place finishes early in the season, he recorded his first PGA Tour victory at the AT&T Classic in Duluth, Ga., in May.
"If someone would've said I can have this kind of year at the beginning of the year," said Imada, "I would've said 'Great!' but I haven't been playing very good the last few months. That's another reason why I'm here. Trying to find my game and trying to finish the season off with a better taste. I'd like to finish well and then I'd look back and say it's a great year."
In Saturday's third round of the Turning Stone Resort Championship, Imada shot a 3-under par 69 on Saturday to move into a tie for 12th at 4-under.
As the Tour winds down into the Fall Series, Imada remains in 14th place on the money list with almost $3 million in earnings. There is only one player ranked higher than him playing the Turning Stone Resort Championship this week here at Atunyote Golf Club. He is one just four players in the Turning Stone field who competed in the Tour Championship two weeks ago.
"I've always come here and I like the course and I like the resort," Imada said. "I wasn't expecting this weather, but I wanted to play a few more events to get a good finish so I'd feel good sitting home in the off-season."
Home is Tampa. Most of Imada's family still lives in Mihara, a little town just outside Hiroshima, but he and his wife, Kanae, reside in Tampa where he lived after leaving his homeland.
He left the Japanese-owned golf academy after just one year and, at the age of 15, moved in with golf coach Rich Able.
"He took me under his wing and he's been teaching me ever since," Imada said.
When he turned 18, Imada wanted to turn pro. His parents weren't so sure. College, however, wasn't an option. Imada was still struggling with English. He didn't even take the SAT. After floundering about for a little over a year, Imada decided he needed to go to college.
"I turned 19," he said. "I figured I needed to study a little more and take my SATs and go to college."
He knew the University of Georgia's golf coach through his experience in the American Junior Golf Association. One phone call later and Imada was a Bulldog.
After leading Georgia to its first NCAA championship and runner-up finish to Luke Donald in the individual competition, Imada turned pro at the end of his sophomore year.
Imada hit the Nationwide Tour. He notched a victory, but a final round 76 at the PGA Tour Qualifying tournament left him three strokes shy of his tour card. He spent the next four years on the Nationwide circuit before finally cracking the PGA Tour in 2005.
He ranked among the top 100 on the PGA's money list in each of the last two years and last season he narrowly missed out on his first PGA victory, losing to Zach Johnson in a playoff at the AT&T Classic.
The 2008 season has been Imada's coming out party.
He finished second to Tiger at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in January. In March, he wound up in a four-way tie for second at the PODS Championship in Tampa. Then karma finally found Imada. He beat Kenny Perry in a playoff at the AT&T Classic, avenging his playoff loss from 2007 and doing so in front of thousands of Georgia fans and shouts of 'Woof! Woof! Woof!'
"Obviously, I love the golf course," Imada said. "I've always had great success on that golf course. The year before I lost in a playoff, so I had to redeem myself and get a win. I'm glad I got my win in there before the tournament went away."
That win temporarily put him in third-place on the PGA Tour's money list behind only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
"Anytime you can be close to those two, you're doing something really special," Imada said. "I wish I could've stayed up there. I'm still plugging along and trying to find another win."
Whether another victory awaits Imada this year or not, he's already shown that he's willing to go to great lengths and travel long distances in pursuit of a dream.