Play Young and Play Hard

In late March， at the “You Bring Charm to the World” Awards Ceremony， jointly sponsored by Phoenix TV and several Chinese-language media organizations from home and abroad， golf prodigy Guan Tianlang， born in 1998， received the Star of Hope award.

Since he swung his first golf club at the age of four， Guan’s sporting career has been exceptionally smooth. At the 2013 Masters， the 14-year-old， competing as an amateur， spent a record-breaking four days at Augusta as not only the youngest player in the history of the Masters， but also the first Chinese golfer to even make the Masters cut. He hit the links alongside the biggest names in golf， including Tiger Woods– himself once a child golfing prodigy.

Impressive Debut

Like competitors of every professional sport， along with hard work and strong will， successful golfers need natural talent. In this sense， Guan is blessed. Even playing amongst the world’s best golfers， the boy seems endowed with major natural ability for the sport.

He began playing at the age of four and registered for his first tournament a year later. Since age six， he has been visiting the United States for annual training. At age eight， when he watched the Masters on TV with his father and saw Woods win， he declared that he wanted to win every grand slam in a single year. Such a goal is quite ambitious， since no one has ever been able to do so. At 14， he arrived on the grounds of Augusta， a Mecca for golfers from around the world， where he drew instant attention from pundits as a rising star.

Guan was born into a wealthy Guangzhou family， and his father， Guan Hanwen， played a decisive role in the boy’s golfing career. The elder Guan is a golf enthusiast and first took his son to a course at the age of two. Guan Hanwen insists that he didn’t push golf on his son， but rather uncovered the boy’s interest and helped develop it. “He tried a lot of things when he was young， such as taekwondo， playing the electronic keyboard， and skating. However， only golf really suits him. He could watch a tournament on TV for five hours straight even when he was little. ” Guan Hanwen considers himself a contrast to Chinese parents who tend to push their kids towards specific disciplines.

Even when asked the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue – when Guan Tianlang should go pro – the father insists on letting “nature take its course.” “There is no timeline，” he explains. “We will allow him to develop his game and make up his own mind. He will want to turn pro when he knows he has capability to win. It’s up to him.”

Long Drive

In fact， as early as November 2012， when he won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship to qualify for the 2013 Masters， Guan already attracted global attention. Many international media originations including CBS and ESPN sent journalists to Guangzhou. Suddenly， the teen became a media darling.

Guan’s outstanding performance in a Western sport makes many proud. On Weibo， China’s answer to Twitter， Guan’s following has grown steadily， now numbering 260，000.

Over the past two decades， along with the development of the Chinese economy， golf has gained increasing popularity. However， authoritative figures on how many play in China remain to be seen. According to a 2013 activeness analysis of 600 18-hole golf courses in China by industry insiders， the count of Chinese golfers passed the one million mark long ago.

With golf set to be added to the 2016 Olympics， the game is expected to rise from its marginalized status in China. Many hope that China’s national sporting system will soon begin allocating greater resources to golf.

According to Golf Digest’s Hong Kong edition， against this background， many young golfers like Guan are emerging in China. Visitors to golf courses in major Chinese cities such as Beijing， Shenzhen， and Shanghai will see many young players. Furthermore， Guan’s performance in major international competition has inspired imaginations and upward mobility. Some Chinese golf experts even expect Guan to do for golf in China what Woods did for the sport in the United States after his debut in 1996.

Chasing the Tiger

Similarities between Guan and Tiger Woods are many， and every modern aspiring golfer looks up to the latter. Tiger Woods appeared on television for his exceptional golf skill at age two in 1978， so Guan actually has catching up to do if his career is to follow suit. At the age of seven， Woods was winning 10-and-under tournaments.

Guan， however， first began receiving formal training at seven： two hours a day on weekdays and six on weekends. Many marvel at his persistence – he rarely misses a session despite the monotony of such heavy training. His training and competition in the United States gradually extended from three weeks a year at first， to three months a year. One major difference between Guan and other young golfers is that Guan also continues studying consistently. Like most traditional Chinese parents， Guan’s still attach great importance to scholastic pursuits. In school， he excels at English and math. At press conferences at the Masters， Guan answered every question in fluent English.

Many are optimistic about the boy’s future. “One of the most deliberate practice players I’ve ever seen is Tiger [Woods]， but I’ve never seen anyone like Guan at this age，” commented renowned coach Sean Foley. “It’s pretty obvious he wants to be the world’s top player.”