Guan fires 73 in historic Masters debut

Fourteen-year-old amateur Guan Tianlang of China celebrates sinking a birdie putt on the 18th green during first round play in the 2013 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, April 11, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

EMOTIONAL FINISH

The 14-year-old ended his major championship debut with a birdie putt right on the day's magic number of 14, curling in a 14-footer at the 18th to finish the first round as low scorer by three strokes among the six amateur players in the field.

The Asia-Pacific Amateur champion showed his first emotion of a five-hour tour of Augusta National at the last hole, thrusting his right arm into the air and waving his cap to the cheering crowd after bending in a left-to-right curler for his closing birdie.

"It was like a dream come true," Guan admitted. "Playing in the Masters is pretty amazing."

The slightly-built teenager made up for a lack of length off the tee, where he routinely drives the ball about 260 yards, with his deft short game, drawing roars of appreciation with his rescue work at the sixth, 11th, 13th and 17th holes.

While Guan played his round with a dead-pan expression, his father, Han Wen, was the head cheerleader.

The elder Guan, a physician who began showing Tianlang the rudiments of the game when he was four, exhorted "Bite, bite, bite," on his son's long approach shots and "Go, go, go," when his shots landed short on the green.

He shot a fist-pump to a friend after his son's six-foot birdie putt hit the bottom of the hole at the 10th after a 190-yard, high, soft hybrid shot into the green.

When Guan rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-five 13th after his tee shot lost distance after it deflected off a pine tree branch, the player's father threw his arms over his head, cheered and slapped a high-five with a friend from home.

John Ho, vice president of the Lion Lake Group, which includes the Lion Lake Country Club where Guan practises in Guongdong, said he was proud of the precocious Guan.

"He comes to play every day after school," he told Reuters. "His father drives him about an hour to the course and he practises until dark for about two hours. He practices all day on the weekends."

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