The Masters gets underway later this week and Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as well as the rest of the PGA Tour will be looking over their shoulders at 14-year-old Guan Tianlang, the youngest competitor ever at the major at Augusta National.
According to the Associated Press, Tianlang, the Chinese golf prodigy dubbed the Asian Tiger Woods, made the tournament after winning the Asian-Pacific Amateur qualifier for the Masters, and he was seen on Monday giving golf tips to former champion Ben Crenshaw on the 18th hole at Augusta National. The 61-year-old Crenshaw gave some tips as well and Guan took in the course for the first time as the start approached.
He played with Tiger Woods for nine holes and also had some fun with Woods and Dustin Johnson on the course. Augusta can be a tough course for someone playing for the first time and he showed off his skills on Monday, hitting a number of tough shots during his practice round.
"He's way more mature than 14," said Crenshaw. "I think we're all asking ourselves what the heck were we doing when we were 14. He's very accomplished and you could just tell that he lives and breathes it.
Guan came to August three weeks ago to get ready, while Mickelson and Woods came over the weekend. He set up practice rounds with Tom Watson and also will play a par-3 warm-up during the week. Mickelson took in a practice round with Condoleezza Rice, while Woods has been on fire on the tour, winning three times prior to the Masters.
Woods is the favorite after winning six times in his last 20 starts, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament two weeks ago for his eighth time, tying a Tour record for most wins at one event.
