ハニカミ王子（Prince Charming）

ハニカミ王子とは？

「ハニカミ王子（はにかみおうじ）」とは、男子プロゴルファーの石川遼（いしかわ りょう）選手の愛称 です。
彼が高校1年生だった2007年にプロの試合で優勝 した際、その照れたような笑顔が印象的だったことから、このニックネームが誕生し、流行語となりました。

「ハニカミ王子」が流行語になった背景

石川遼、史上最年少優勝（2007年）

2007年5月、当時15歳の高校1年生だった石川遼が「マンシングウェアオープンKSBカップ」に出場。
史上最年少の15歳245日でツアー優勝 を果たすという快挙。
アマチュア選手としての優勝は、30年ぶりの快挙だった。

照れたような笑顔が「ハニカミ王子」と命名される

優勝インタビューなどで見せた、恥ずかしそうに微笑む姿が「かわいい」と話題に。
「ハニカミ王子」という愛称は、テレビのワイドショーやスポーツ紙で広まり、一躍流行語に！
流行語大賞のトップ10にも選ばれた。

「ハニカミ王子」ブームの影響

スポーツ界以外でも大人気に！

石川遼選手の試合には、多くの女性ファンが詰めかけるように。
テレビのバラエティ番組やCMにも多数出演。
ファッションや髪型も注目され、まるでアイドルのような人気を誇った。

ゴルフ業界の活性化

それまで「高齢者のスポーツ」と思われがちだったゴルフに、若者の関心が高まる。
ジュニアゴルフ人口の増加や、ゴルフ中継の視聴率アップにも貢献。

「ハニカミ王子」ブームのその後

2008年、プロ転向

17歳でプロゴルファーとしての道を本格的に歩み始める。
「石川遼ブーム」として、ゴルフ界の顔となる。

その後も国内外で活躍

2009年、日本ゴルフツアー賞金王（最年少記録）
2010年代はアメリカツアーにも挑戦。
一時期スランプに陥るも、現在もプロとして活躍中。

「ハニカミ王子」の教訓

一つの笑顔が、その人のイメージを作ることがある。
スポーツのスター選手は、競技以外でも社会に影響を与える。
若くして脚光を浴びることの難しさと、そこから這い上がる努力が大切。

The nickname “Hanikami Oji” is a nickname for Ryo Ishikawa, a male professional golfer.
The nickname was coined and became a buzzword after he won a professional tournament in 2007, when he was a first-year high school student, and his shy smile was so impressive.

Background of “Prince Hanikami” becoming a buzzword
Ryo Ishikawa, the youngest ever winner (2007)
In May 2007, Ryo Ishikawa, then a 15-year-old high school freshman, competed in the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup.
He became the youngest player in history to win a tournament at the age of 15 years and 245 days.
It was the first time in 30 years that an amateur player had won the tournament.

His shy smile earned him the nickname “Prince Hanikami.
The shy smile he showed in his victory interview and other interviews became a topic of conversation as “cute.
The nickname “Prince Hanikami” spread through TV wide shows and sports newspapers, and became a buzzword!
It was even selected as one of the top 10 trendy words of the year.

The Impact of the “Prince Honeycomb” Boom
It also became very popular outside of the sports world!
Ryo Ishikawa’s matches were attended by many female fans.
He has also appeared in many TV variety shows and commercials.
His fashion and hairstyle also attracted attention, and he became as popular as if he were an idol.

Revitalization of the Golf Industry
Young people’s interest in golf, which until then was often thought of as a “sport for the elderly,” began to grow.
This contributed to an increase in the number of junior golfers and to higher viewership of live golf broadcasts.

After the “Prince of Honey” Boom
Turned pro in 2008
At the age of 17, Ryo Ishikawa began his career as a professional golfer in earnest.
He became the face of the golf world during the “Ryo Ishikawa boom.

Since then, he has been active both domestically and internationally.
In 2009, he became the Japanese Golf Tour’s Money Champion (the youngest ever).
In the 2010s, he also challenged the U.S. Tour.
He fell into a slump for a while, but is still active as a professional golfer.

Lessons from the “Prince of Smiles
A single smile can create a person’s image.
Star athletes in sports have an impact on society even outside of competition.
The difficulty of being in the limelight at a young age and the importance of making the effort to climb out of it.

AIが描いた「ハニカミ王子」