Tiger's Beard, Ryo's "Makiroi" & Golf Guy Grooming

Tiger Woods, photo:Getty Images / / / / / / / / / Ryo Ishikawa, Photo: スポニチ

The Tiger Woods facial hair story is a couple of days old now, and while it's never officially trended on Twitter,  it has generated... and continues to generate... a steady stream of commentary/discussion.

Tiger Woods' Beard even has its own facebook page... and has been described by sports writers in a variety of creative ways, including "some kinda beard thing", "somewhere between a full beard and some chinstraps", and a sexy scruff. 

Golf fans and media types alike have clearly been intrigued and entertained by the recent Tiger transfiguration.  

Affable Andres Gonzales has a prodigious Foo Manchu and hair that flows past his ample shoulders. 
One of the most popular rookies on the PGA tour,  he's known as much for his unconventional grooming as for his unrequited public friendship with the aforementioned Tiger. 

2009 Open Championship winner Stuart Cink spoke about his decision to embrace baldness in a recent video for Dove® Men + Care, a line of grooming products developed specifically for men. It seems his wife Lisa was the one who suggested he take a razor to his remaining locks a few years ago... and he's never looked back.

Then there's  Ryo Ishikawa, the Japanese golf superstar frequently featured in the pages of this blog.  The so called Bashful Prince is anything but bashful when it comes to hairstyle experimentation. He's probably best known for the spiky, Poulter-inspired style that inspired his famous club cover.  I also remember an unusual asymmetrical look.   Then a couple of weeks ago, at the US Open,  Ryo was looking a lot like Rickie Fowler... so much so that fans were doing double takes.

This week the versatile Mr. Ishikawa is in South Korea for the Million Yard Cup, and seems to be stylistically inspired by another R: The teen is currently wearing a playful mop of curls that some in Japan are calling a "Makiroi".  

"Makiroi"... as you may have surmised... actually stands for McIlroy, and who better to be inspired by than the record breaking young US Open winner?  Ryo's spokesman suggested the style was simply created to go with both a visor and a flat biller cap, and indicated that he'd be wearing this style at Royal St. Georges next week for the 2011 Open Championship.

In any case, one thing is clear about Ryo and the other players mentioned here: many fans... and quite a number of sports writers... enjoy their unique looks and stylistic experimentation.