At 14 years old, Chinese golfer Tianlang Guan is the youngest player ever to compete in the Masters. But he didn't show up at Augusta National merely to play. The eighth grader carded an impressive 1-over 73 in his opening round on Thursday: China's Tianlang Guan, 14, at 1 over.
But kid still has a few things to learn, according to one official. On Friday, after repeated reminders, Guan received a one-stroke penalty for slow play on the 17th hole -- a ruling that almost jeopardized his chances of making the cut: Tianlang Guan penalized for slow play at Masters.
The British scoring official said he had advised Guan about slow play after both the 12th and 16th holes. When the eighth grader was again slow to hit a fairway shot on the 17th, Paramor, known for his diligence concerning slow play, immediately pounced. A player has 40 seconds to swing after initially addressing the ball.It was a controversial penalty, and some feel that Guan was singled out. He has the pro golf world buzzing -- he is the story at the Masters. It would have been a damn shame for him to get cut over a rare slow play penalty. His contemporaries apparently felt the same way: PGA Tour players respond to the slow play penalty Augusta National gave Tianlang Guan.
"In keeping with the applicable rules, [Guan] was penalized … when he again exceeded the 40-second time limit by a considerable margin," the Masters said via a statement.
The ruling is a rare one in tournament golf and moved Guan to 4-over par, putting his chances to make the cut for the Masters – a remarkable accomplishment – in jeopardy. All Guan could do was wait as the final players trickled in, setting the cut line. When Jason Day finally putted out some four hours later, establishing a two-round best 6-under par, Guan had just snuck in by a single stroke. He's the youngest player ever to make the cut at the Masters.
