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To put this in better perspective, Nick Faldo was 21 when he first played there, Phil Mickelson was 20 and both Jack Nicklaus and Woods were Nicklaus has golf gloves older than Tianlang. There is a shy hello near the green, a hurried handshake and a few moments of small talk; Tianlang speaks English fairly well, his dad hardly at all. And then I notice Tianlang growing impatient. He wants to get back to work. Since Augusta National is known for having the fastest greens this side of a marble floor, Tianlang has a need for speed.
So he and his dad will spend the next three days here. The superintendent of the courses has done his part, rolling the greens to raise the Stimpmeter reading from When the pollution drifts away, this is a stunningly beautiful place.
Cliffs nearly encircle the Yangzonghai Lake and the temperature is San Diego-ish: cool in the morning and night, warm during the day. Yeah, OK, I could do without the massive aluminum plant on the other side of the lake, but you can't have everything.
Security guards wearing white helmets salute when you enter the resort. And near the clubhouse there is a virtual army of caddies -- all women and all wearing green uniforms.
They ride on the back of the golf carts. I take a peek at Tianlang's worn orange, blue and white golf bag, which looks like a hand-me-down from the University of Illinois team. He has four different makes of clubs and there's no mistaking the belly putter sticking its neck out from the bag. Tianlang is almost 5-foot-9 and weighs pounds, which is about 10 pounds heavier than when he won the Asia-Pacific Amateur.
He hits his driver about yards or so, which would rank him 63rd on the tour. He makes Mike Weir look like Bubba Watson. But reality check: He's 14 years old. And by the way, when you put a wedge or a putter in his hand, he either sticks it close to the pin or sinks it. After his round followed by a long session on the putting green , we meet for dinner in the resort dining room.
I hand Tianlang a Masters Annual that I brought from home Augusta National sends one each year to writers covering the tournament. He thumbs slowly through the pages, as if he's memorizing each photo, story, stat and yardage. The dinner group includes Tianlang, his father, a media relations consultant from Hong Kong, our ESPN crew of five and a "fixer" part interpreter, part problem-solver.
There is probably someone else at the table, but I can't remember after the drink toasts. I've never done shots of jet fuel, but if I did, I think it would taste like Chinese vodka. Guan keeps standing up and offering toasts. Our interpreter says it would be impolite and a loss of face for Mr. Guan if we don't take part. So three or four shots later, I'm cracking wise, yukking it up to the Guans. That's when the interpreter leans over and says discreetly, "Mr.
Guan does not understand your particular sense of humor. Smoking is allowed in the restaurant. So, apparently, is pulling your golf shirt up to your neck and scratching your belly. Not me -- the guy at the table behind us -- the same table where a bucket of ice and a huge bottle of Johnnie Walker sit as centerpieces. Tianlang is the only child of Hanwen and Hongyu Guan.
There are a lot of only children in China because of the country's birth control policy. The sunrise was so nice. The sun was just climbing up. The sky was so beautiful. He hit his first driving range ball when he was 4. He watched his first Masters when he was 5. He began winning junior tournaments throughout China and later, in the United States. Yes, the kid is a worker bee. He doesn't screw around on the driving range at Spring City or during rounds on the Lake or Mountain courses.
He is 14 going on Hanwen is part father, part caddie, part swing coach, part friend. He gave up his medical practice to devote his time to his son's golf dream. He dotes lovingly on Tianlang, even to the point of spreading sunscreen on his son's face and ears. For quite a lot of time, I would listen to him. It isn't uncommon in China for small children to be sent to nurseries for days at a time so their parents can work full time. Tianlang was 3 years old when he spent five days a week at the nursery, returning home only on the weekends.
Maybe he plays golf so well also because of the same reason. Tianlang doesn't do many chores around the house. He doesn't get an allowance. School work and golf are his jobs. He has played in the Australian Open, the Australian Masters and tried and failed to qualify for the Open Championship. He's sort of used to this history thing. But Chinese golf isn't. As our crew follows Tianlang during a Friday morning round, I chat up Elvin Chua, a marketing executive whose company oversees the Spring City resort.
Golf, said Chua, is considered by the government and most of its 1. Table tennis, soccer, badminton, swimming, basketball -- those are the sports of choice in China. Golf, which was banned in China until , is a boutique sport. That's why Tianlang is so important. The more exposure he gains and the more success he has, the better the chances are that the government reclassifies golf as a game of the people.
The Masters is a nice start. Five different networks will carry TV coverage in China. In the past, perhaps three sportswriters for China-based publications would cover the Masters.
This year, it could be as many as a dozen. The more I watch Tianlang, the more I realize he isn't coming to Augusta National to miss the cut, stash a bathrobe from his stay in the Crow's Nest and chow down on pimento cheese sandwiches. I lost a bit focus on the last few holes and missed a couple of chances. In the hole stroke-play event, the 78 men and women in the no-cut field, which includes six amateurs, go head-to-head on the same course. The players compete for one prize purse and one trophy but from two different sets of tees.
There are two events men and women as far as World Ranking Points are concerned, but their earnings will be decided by where he or she finishes in the mixed event. Zhang carded a round that featured four birdies, a bogey and the eagle two at the yard ninth. Zhang Jienalin plays a shot during the first round of the angzhou International Championships.
She fired a 5-under-par 67 to sit one-shot behind leader Guan Tianliang. They started very well and had a good rhythm like me. At the last three holes I made a bet with Chen, my Sina Cup teammate; the loser would do 10 push-ups for every birdie. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation.
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First of all, golf is in it's baby years in China.
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