His name is Kei Takahashi, he studies at a high school and is causing a sensation in Japan, his native country, because of his talent with golf clubs and, above all, because he is an ambidextrous player who handles the course with equal skill with both the right and the left. In fact, of the fourteen clubs in his bag, three of them, the 6 and 8 irons and the wedge, are left-handed.
Kei started playing golf when he was in elementary school, encouraged by his father, Yoshimi. A year later, an acquaintance of his father’s gave the boy, who until then played right-handed, a left-handed club, and from then on he began to alternate strokes from both sides of the ball.
The teenager generally plays right-handed, although left-handed strokes give him some advantage. “I don’t reach as much distance as when I hit forehands, but I do have more accuracy,” Kei says.
The youngster has been able to make his debut on the Japan Pro Tour after earning a spot in the Fukushima Open through an amateur tournament that gave access to the tournament.
In his first round, Key hit lefts four times.
“I don’t think there is another player like me in Japan or even in the whole world. I’m happy to be in the spotlight,” the boy says.
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