As good as Guan Tianlang was on Thursday at the Masters – and he was very good – he’ll have to be every bit as good, perhaps better, on Friday to make the cut. His 1-over-par 73 leaves him tied for 46th place in a field of 94 players, and three shots clear of the next best amateur in the field.
Continue reading Odds on Guan Tianlang making the cut just got much shorter
Guan Tianlang tees off at the Masters at 12.24 am early on Friday morning China time, playing alongside Ben Crenshaw (the oldest competitor in the field) and 19-year-old Matteo Manassero, who, as a 16-year-old, previously held (well, technically still holds for another few hours…!) the youngest age record at the Masters.
Good news for Guan in his quest to make the cut: the Masters changed their rules on Wednesday for the first time since 1962 (what is in the water this year??), meaning that more players will now stick around for the weekend’s action. It used to be players standing tied for 44th or better (or within 10 strokes of the lead) would continue to play on Saturday and Sunday, but has been raised to tied for 50th or better (plus those with 10 shots of the lead).
And good news for Guan in his quest to win the whole thing: given that no player has ever won Wednesday’s Par-3 competition AND the Masters proper in the same year, Guan will be “pleased” that Ted Potter Jr, another Masters rookie (but 15 years his senior!) took home the Par-3 prize.
Here’s my take on China’s newest golf sensation for Beijing Cream.
Typically adults are better than kids at most sports, but you could argue that’s not the case in diving (smaller bodies = less splash), gymnastics (younger athletes = more flexible) and now you can add golf to the list – or at least golf in China.
First there was 14-year-old Andy Zhang who gained a last-minute entry into the 2012 US Open as second alternate after Brandt Snedeker and Paul Casey both withdrew through injury. Then there was 13-year-old Guan Tianlang who played in last year’s China Open, a European Tour event, and will tee off at the Masters next week at the ripe old age of 14. And now there is Ye Wocheng, a 12-year-old who will next month break Guan’s record as the youngest to play on the European Tour. Continue reading Sports where puberty is a disadvantage