Guan Tianlang is set to become the youngest player to tee off in the Masters Tournament
China’s Guan Tianlang is set to become the youngest player in the history of golf to compete in the Masters Tournament, when he tees off next year at the Augusta National Golf Club, on April 11, 2013.
Tianlang qualified for the first major championship of the season through a victory at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, on November 4, 2012.
He also became the youngest winner of the prestigious event held at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand. He earned his victory at the age of 14.
Tianlang displayed a brilliant game throughout the week and ended his campaign with a one-under par 71 on Sunday, for a 15-under par tournament score.
Asia’s No. 2 amateur Pan Cheng-Tsung, in the meantime, fired a sparkling seven-under par 65 in the final round. However, a 14-under par overall score did not allow him to challenge his rival on the top.
However, he still managed to earn a spot in the International Final Qualifying (IFQ) for The Open Championship, along with Tianlang.
Talking to the reporters after earning a place in the Masters Tournament, Tianlang said that he was really delighted to know that he will become the youngest player in the history to tee off in the Masters Tournament.
While making his start in the tournament, he will be 14 years, five months and 17 days old. The previous record was held by Matteo Manassero (16), when he teed off in the 2010 edition of the event.
“I’m so excited. I’m really happy to become the youngest player at the Masters and looking forward to going there. I don’t know what’s going to happen there, but I know I just want to do well,” he said.
“Pan really did a good job, so I just needed to focus on my game and get some more birdies and keep going. I knew Pan had a really good front nine, so I was checking the scores a bit on the back nine”.
“I just thought if I got a couple more birdies I would be the champion,” added the Guangzhou-based schoolboy, the event’s first Chinese champion.
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