China’s Guan Tianlang Stuns World Golf

“Mature and Confident”

Guan Hanwen, Guan’s father, introduced his son to the game. A big fan of golf himself, Hanwen got his son into the game early by playing him video golf lessons.

The support of Guan’s family has been instrumental in his success. Over 10 years of practice, Guan’s father has been his coach and mentor, and also his agent and spokesperson. Every summer vacation Hanwen would accompany his son to the U.S. to study and practice golf for two months.

Despite putting in long hours at the golf course from an early age, Guan hasn’t abandoned his school studies. Despite breaking records on the other side of the Pacific, Guan still attends middle school in Guangzhou. Monday to Friday, he’s at school till five o’clock every day, and practices golf for two hours after. One or two hours of homework follow. Guan, it seems, is not just a golfing talent: he’s getting excellent grades at school, especially in English and Math.

Guan has won fans in China thanks to the mature way he holds himself in the public arena. At one press conference at the Masters, Guan, wearing a white T-shirt and green slacks, answered a total of 26 questions from the media in fluent English and without displaying the slightest hint of nervousness. He was the first Chinese golfer ever to attend a press conference at the Augusta National press center. His parents were sitting in at the conference, and couldn’t help applauding as their son cruised through the questions.

Guan said his childhood hero was Tiger Woods. His dream for many years was to tee off with the golfing master, and it finally came true this year. At the Master’s Guan played nine holes with Woods, during which he chatted excitedly with his idol. Matt Kuchar, another renowned American golfer, said he watched on in awe at the way Guan handled himself with Woods. Kuchar was once paired with Woods at age 19. He said at the time he was so nervous that all he could concentrate on was staying on the fairway. Guan, however, dealt with the pressure like a true pro. He actually outplayed Woods over the nine holes.

Both on the green and off, Guan seems to be an excellent manager of his emotions. He’s calm in all situations, whether talking to the media, teeing off with golfing legends, or chatting with boys his own age. The consensus among golf commentators is that Guan has the presence of mind and maturity to make the game his own.

Rediscovering Golf

For a long time, golf has been considered an “upper-class” sport, played by an exclusive clique of wealthy – and time-rich – individuals.

In 2009, golf was set to feature at the 2016 Olympics, signifying that the game had well and truly made the jump to mainstream.

Chinese golfers have increasingly been taking it to their international competition. In 2010, Liang Wenchong tied for the eighth place at the 2010 PGA Championship. In the same year, Wu Ashun became first golfer from China to win on the Japan Golf Tour. And in 2012, Feng Shanshan became the first female player from the Chinese mainland to win a LPGA championship.

Thanks to the efforts of these trailblazers, golf has been attracting a greater following in China. By and large, however, most Chinese still regard the game as elitist. Perhaps this also has something to do with the exorbitant membership fees demanded by clubs in China. Only the rich can afford to play golf in China, the logic goes.

Or so people thought. Guan’s experience has made people re-evaluate their position on golf and spurred a new generation’s interest in the game. After all, Guan, barely a teenager and with his father as coach, managed to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and gain selection for the U.S. Masters.

Such was the Chinese public’s interest in Guan’s performance at the Masters that the China Central Television nightly news broadcast covered the event for two consecutive days. Usually, the broadcast skips sport completely to focus on domestic events.

The potential of Guan to inspire a new generation of world-beating Chinese golfers has been reported on in the Financial Times. In an article entitled “Teen Golfer Changes the Face of Chinese Sport,” the journal wrote, “Guan Tianlang has become the latest Chinese to make sporting history after the 14-year-old golfer played his way to the distinction of being the youngest ever competitor in Masters history. His achievement drew the usual congratulations and expressions of national pride on Weibo, the Twitter-like microblogging site in China.”

Weibo, like Twitter and Facebook, is generally the preserve of youth. If millions of Chinese youngsters are now getting interested in golf, perhaps the future of the sport lies in China.