The 77th edition of The Masters promises to be a special one. And Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner, 14 year old Guan Tianlang of China, is one big reason why.

The rest of the other kids ages 8 to 16 have can get into the Masters as well, but only with free admission if accompanied by an adult badge holder. That is thanks to the program Augusta National chairman Billy Payne introduced back in 2008.

In that same year, The Masters tournament organized in conjunction with the R&A and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) the competition that now is known as the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.

Thanks to Tianlang being the reigning champion of the event, he is now the youngest participant in the tournament’s 77-year history. At 14 years and six months, he surpasses Italy’s Matteo Manassero’s mark by more than two years. He’ll be a month younger than fellow Chinese child prodigy Andy Zhang was when he competed in last year’s U.S. Open.

Tianlang was introduced to the game by his father, Guan Han Wen, at age four back in his native city of Guangzhou, the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province. He has been coached since he was six by Danny Webb.

His interest in the game was drawn, just like many other youngsters nowadays, by watching Tiger Woods play.

He has met his golfing idol three times already. The first two times playing a hole with Woods each time, and on Monday afternoon, he played a practice round with him and Dustin Johnson—he had played one in the morning with Ben Crenshaw.

But how will young Guan Tianlang fare during regulation play?

You have to hand it to him; at least he certainly doesn’t lack confidence. When he qualified for The Masters, he tweeted stating that he wanted to win the tournament.

Tianlang is expected to play with Nick Faldo in the Masters' annual par-three event. Faldo presented Guan with a special achievement award in Shenzhen last month.

Up to that point, he will be having a blast. Once the official rounds begin, being realistic, it’s very unlikely that he will make the cut.

And that is not to undermine his play and impact his participation will have in Asia and especially back in his homeland of China.
Winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is one thing; The Masters is a whole different kind of monster. Golf’s youngest major is the ultimate test in golf.

Tianlang has one disadvantage right off the tee. He averages around 250 yards off the tee; in other words he must use longer clubs for his shots into Augusta National’s small, fast greens.

For all the wizardry he displayed with his short game while winning the APAC, he will have to elevate his short game to a whole new level if he hopes to make the cut. By being short off the tee, and going with bigger clubs, he must have radar-like pin-point accuracy approaching the greens.

Even the big, proven stars like Woods, McIlroy and Mickelson would attest of the level of difficulty this represents. The greens there are the most demanding greens you will ever face, whether you are putting on them or chipping onto them.

Tianlang must show creativity with his shots that only experience brings. You don’t have to look further than defending champion Bubba Watson and his incredible hook shot that set up his Masters triumph last year.

Everywhere you look for, you will see that players are unanimous in that distance control has to be perfect, or you will find plenty of trouble. You have to be in top form with every club in your bag to do well at Augusta. You can face every shot there is in golf in every round you play there.

Tianlang could become the first Chinese-born player to win a major, and it might very well be The Masters, just not this year.