Guan Tian-lang - Is Golf"s New Young Gun Too Young?

At Age 13, Many Feel Guan Tian-lang is too Young
Photo via GolfToday

One year ago, a 12-year-old by the name of Guan Tian-lang won the inaugural Mission Hills Nike Golf Junior Championship and proudly accepted the trophy from his long-time idol, Tiger Woods.

Both wore red as they stood on the stage together, surrounded by golf officials and Nike executives. Looking back at photos of that day, one gets the sense that the precocious, pubescent winner felt more than ready to assume his share of the stage.

Flash forward a few of hundred days and you'll find Guan Tian-lang, at 13, preparing to play in the Volvo China Open this week ...and poised to become the youngest player in European Tour history.

Having finished fourth in a qualifying event three weeks ago, the prodigious young player was put on a reserve list, and for a short while, feared he'd missed his chance at history.  But his hopes were restored when it was announced that the player who won the qualifier already had a China Open exemption.  So the Tiger trajectory... that began when Guan was introduced to golf at age four by his golf-obsessed, Woods worshiping  Dad...  remains solidly on course.

China golf expert, Dan Washburn wrote a piece for ESPN.com back in 2005 about huge impact Tiger Woods was beginning to have on golf in China. In the article Washburn introduces us to Guan Han Wen, an interior designer from Southern China, who spent a considerable amount of money to bring his wife and son up to Sheshan International Golf Club, outside of Shanghai for HSBC Champions tournament where Tiger would be playing.  His son, you may have surmised, was Tian-lang who, at age 7 had just placed fourth in the 6-and-under division at the Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego. 

The record Guan Tian-lang will break this week at age 13 years and 173 days is currently held by Lo Shik-kai who was about 100 days older when he played in the Hong Kong Open almost a decade ago, and as will be the case anytime such an age record is broken there are questions.  It's a given that child prodigies are compelling to watch and young guns make headlines,  but from an ethical standpoint, when is a young gun too young?

Guan Tian-lang on the front page of the European Tour site

"Are we fools?"

Writing in stellar Spanish golf blog Fuera de Límites Ovidiov Vidal asks that question, and it's clear from his post that when it comes to having children as young as 13... however talented and mature they may be... compete in professional tournaments against top tour players, we are, in fact, fools.  ...and exploitative, self-interested fools at that.

As the father of young children himself the spaniard questions the purpose of encouraging such a young kid to play in a top level tournament.  He points out when you put a 13-year-old in this kind of situation, he stands a chance of being unfairly compared to men who started playing before he was even born and as such this kind of test isn't even a good measure of potential.

What it definitely is... no matter what your opinion is on the ethics of encouraging youngsters to play in adult events... is a news story.  Child prodigies are captivating; they grab ratings, sell tickets and generate buzz but as exciting as an ultra-young star like Guan may be, it's hard not to worry about the pressures that such an early entry into the top levels of any sport or dicipline may bring. After all there have been some epic flame outs that are hard to overlook.


Those stories won't stop Guan Tian-lang and his family from forging ahead this we. Nor will they stop the promoters from promoting him, the media from covering him or the fans from clamoring for him and hopefully this particular 13-year-old will be able to keep it all in perspective.


On the topic of child prodigies a couple of interesting links: The Downside of Being a Child Prodigy
presents Alyssa Quart whose own experiences inspired her to write "Hothouse Kids: The Dilemma of the Gifted Child" and 8 Child Prodigies so Amazing They'll Ruin Your Day and humorous look at prodigies both historical and contemporary who are amazing. And they did ruin my day.

Ryo Ishikawa Will Soon Be Seen in Nike Casual Wear (updated)

Ryo Ishikawa With Nike Sportswear Creative Director (c) NIKE

Update: Ryo receives a Masters invite!...also check out his new comercial for Asahi Dry Zero a new 0.00% alcohol, beer-tasting beverage.
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Over the past couple of years we've watched Ryo Ishikawa become a truly global golfer. 

He's played all over the world, bringing his whimsical, multi-chromatic style... and an ever-growing gaggle of Japanese journalists... to the top tournaments on multiple contents. - To the extent that it's often hard to keep track of the young superstar. - Right now Mr. Ishikawa is in Puerto Rico for the PGA Tour's Puerto Rican Open,  he'll then head to Florida for the Transitions Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.  Currently ranked 54th, and four places short of qualifying for the Masters, Ryo will be playing these next few weeks for a spot in the field at Augusta.

Japan's number one golfer seems to have magical powers be able to turn on a dime... getting from one end of the earth to another in record time. His appeal seems to transcend boarders as well earning him avid fans everywhere he goes. It's therefore no surprise to hear he's been pursued by top global brands.

In fact, the Japanese phenom just signed a contract with Nike and will soon be wearing "casual shoes and sportswear" from the iconic brand as part of a global campaign designed to convey the importance of "realizing one's dreams through various challenges".  The tenacious 20 year-old golf champion... who's also known to excel on soccer fields and ski slopes... is clearly a perfect poster boy for this message.

As always, the intrepid Noriko Imano filled me in on this story. She also sent me a link to this exuberant Asahi ad. 
 

Golf Style: Persistent Perceptions of Sartorial Shortcomings

The Boys of the Bad Pants Open

A reputation, once it becomes ingrained in the minds of the masses, can be almost impossible to shake... and golf, over the years, has developed a sartorial reputation that's decidedly sordid.

Thanks to decades of garish polyester pants, generations of dorky saddle shoes and endless incidents of argyle abuse, golf fashion has become a joke in the minds of many... with Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack as its poster boy.  The perception persists, particularly among those who don't follow the sport, despite the wealth of sophisticated golf styles available today from top designers and a roster of young golf stars with who could hold their own on the runways of Paris as well as the fairways of Augusta National.

"Golf style is an oxymoron along the lines of airline food or congressional ethics."

So began a review of Nike's new Dunk NG Golf Shoes in Freshness, a new style/trend/consumer publication that addresses itself to a discerning community of global consumers.  The shoes, which were recently released in Japan, are of the popular street shoe/casual/sneaker-like variety, in other words, the antithesis of the aforementioned dorky saddle shoes and the review, after beginning with that inauspicious comparison ended on an optimistic note:

"... the brand is doing what it can to rehabilitate golf’s image. This Dunk NG, equipped with Scorpion Stinger Spikes and Tri-LOK system, features a crisp White/Court Green-Black colorway that injects a modicum of street style to the gentleman’s game. They still don’t make golf cool, but it’s a start."

The reviewer... by the sounds of it... isn't much into golf, and his perceptions are probably pretty representative of the non-golfing public in general.  For those of us more immersed in the sport - as spectators or players - it may be unsettling to think that despite the best efforts of designers like Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste and Ralph Lauren... and even with stars like Ricky Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa... golf, in the minds of many, still isn't considered cool.