TEEnagers these days, eh?
If they're not updating their Facebook status with every huffy sigh, then they're qualifying for the ruddy Masters. It's not a new phenomenon, mind you. Fred Haas Jnr was the first teen to tee-up in the Augusta showpiece as a 19-year-old in 1935, while Tommy Jacobs joined the party at 17 in 1952. Matteo Manassero became the youngest player to compete in the season's first major at the age of just 16 in 2010 but even that fresh-faced Italian looks like a wizened veteran compared to the latest new kid on the block, Tianlang Guan.
At 14, Tianlang will this week become the youngest competitor in Masters history as a reward for his victory in last season's Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. He still has his homework to do during the event but having already played Augusta National "six or seven times", the Chinese youngster is relishing the schooling he is receiving, particularly when he can call on the words of wisdom from some grand old teachers.
He enjoyed a round with Ben Crenshaw, the two-time green jacket winner, yesterday and is set for another lesson in the rigours of this exacting piece of golfing terrain with another past champion, Tom Watson, today. With Sir Nick Faldo, a triple champion in this corner of Georgia, lined up to be his partner in the pre-tournament Par Three Championship, and a certain Tiger Woods offering his nuggets of information, Tianlang's golfing education has been pretty thorough. "I will say when I was probably three or four years old, I was looking at him [Woods] winning the Masters and it was pretty exciting," he said. "I played with him twice in the past couple of years. He gives me a lot of advice and when I play golf with him I feel so much better and confident."
Tianlang, whose countryman Ye Wocheng recently qualified for the European Tour's Volvo China Open at the age of 12, has certainly been putting in the hours ahead of his debut. "I'm coming at maybe 10 in the morning and practising through until 6.30 or 7," he said, as he emphasised his strong work ethic.
On a robust course that will play a fearsome 7,435 yards, Tianlang, who is still developing his strength and estimates he hits it some 250 yards, remains undaunted by a challenge that will be followed closely by the unflinching gaze of the global media. "I would say I'm not long enough," he shrugged. "But I still think I'll be all right on this golf course. It's not really a serious problem. There's going to be a little pressure on me but I'm not going to push myself too hard. I have the confidence and I know I can play well." One player who won't be coming up short is the big-hitting Belgian bomber, Nicolas Colsaerts, who is also making his debut here at Augusta. Colsaerts, a key member of Europe's Ryder Cup-winning team on American soil last autumn, turned pro when he was 18, but admits the achievements of Tianlang have left him slightly gobsmacked. "I don't think I would've been able to handle this," said the reigning World Matchplay champion. "To play Augusta at 14? I think everybody is almost in shock."
Like Tianlang, Colsaerts has enjoyed tapping into the expertise of those who have conquered here before and, as fountains of knowledge go, they don't come bigger than Jack Nicklaus, the six-time Masters champion who won his first green jacket 50 years ago.
"We were in the clubhouse (in West Palm) three days ago and I was chatting away with two members and Jack Jnr, his son who caddied for Jack in 1986, came in. One of the members asked Jack Jnr 'What would your advice be for your first Masters?' He stood still for about ten seconds and then just said 'I would just talk to dad.' So he looked at me and asked if I'd like to meet him. I said it would be awesome, so he phoned him up, Jack came in and we sat and talked at a table for an hour. It's funny, though, I felt when I was talking to Jack that I had this place (Augusta) pretty well screened up for someone who has never played here. If I add some of the information Jack's given me, it's actually given me quite a confidence boost going in to this."
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