China begins developing potential stars
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, December 5, 2013
China is mobilizing the state behind golf, but 13-year-old Ye Wocheng, the youngest player to compete on the European Tour, says officials should turn instead to the country's "tiger" parents to find the next Tiger Woods.
Golf's return to the Olympics has seen Beijing build a high-tech US$80 million training complex and enlist its rigid education system in a search for new stars.
While officials are looking to satisfy the national urge for medals, a wave of child prodigies is already emerging, tutored by foreign coaches and ingrained with an insatiable desire to succeed by their wealthy, highly disciplined parents.
Ye made history earlier this year when he played at the Volvo China Open aged just 12 years and 242 days.
He smashed the record set by compatriot Guan Tianlang, who astonished the golf world in April when he made the Masters cut at the age of 14.
The rise of golfers like Ye and Guan outside China's sporting infrastructure throws up potential challenges for Beijing, which presents individual talents as state-moulded patriotic champions, rather than self-motivated sports stars.
China has now introduced golf into its sports school system for the first time, and its ultra-modern training center in Shandong Province is expected to produce future champions, with an eye on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
But Ye, who still wears braces, believes China's future as a golfing superpower will be down to individual hard work, along with a dose of firm parenting.
"There will be lots of great (Chinese) players in the future," he said, predicting half the world's top 100 will come from China in 20 years.
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