Nov. 5, 2012
AJGA player becomes youngest in Masters history
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Fourteen-year-old Tianlang
Guan will become the youngest player in Masters history next April after he
earned an invitation by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in
Thailand. Guan, a current AJGA player, led the tournament wire-to-wire,
finishing with a 15-under-par total of 273.
The China native will become the youngest player in a
Masters field by two years. Matteo Manassero was 16 when he played in 2010
after winning the 2009 British Amateur.
Guan made his AJGA debut at the 2011 Emerson Junior Classic
where he finished seventh. He opened the 2012 season with a T11 showing at the
AJGA Junior at Steelwood presented by AT&T, and followed with a second-place
finish at the AJGA Junior Open at The Legends.
The last time a current AJGA member earned a spot at The
Masters was in 2010. Byeong-hun An played in the 2010 tournament
by virtue of winning the 2009 U.S. Amateur. In the midst of a full AJGA
schedule, An claimed the U.S. Amateur title at the age of 17, becoming the youngest
in tournament history. He returned the following week to post a top-20
performance at The Junior PLAYERS Championship.