Chinese youngster swings into golf’s record books

By MARTYN MCLAUGHLIN
Published on 21/03/2013 02:27

HE was not even the height of a three wood when his father, keen to pass on his love of the game, encouraged him to swing a club in earnest.

Now, a Chinese schoolboy has rewritten the record books after becoming the youngest golfer to qualify for a European Tour event.

Ye Wo-Cheng, 12, has become the talk of the golfing world after claiming one of three prestigious qualifying places for the Volvo China Open in May.

His qualification smashed the previous record held by Ye’s compatriot, Guan Tianlang, who competed in last year’s event at the age of 13. The 12-year-old has been playing the game since the age of four-and-a-half.

Speaking after the second and final round of the Western China qualifier at Wolong Valley Country Club in Chengdu, Ye confessed to nerves, but said he enjoyed the experience. “My dad told me to just relax and enjoy it, but it was actually quite a nerve-wracking day, he said.”

However, the youngster has yet to beat the record for the youngest competitor to play in a major. That belongs to St Andrews-born Young Tom Morris, who made his debut at the Open Championship in Prestwick in 1865, aged 14 years, four months, and 25 days.