Wong swinging in B.C. again after stop in China
U of Oregon grad’s hot start gave way to tough reality of pro golfing life
It seems second nature now for most people to simply turn to Google when stumped for an answer, looking for directions or even translation services.
For Eugene Wong, who has spent a great deal of his professional golf career playing in China, it wasn’t that simple.
The North Vancouver athlete speaks Cantonese, but the predominant language at his tour stops in China was Mandarin, so he was just as lost as the rest of us.
And he didn’t have the luxury of turning to Google Translate for help when grabbing a taxi or ordering a meal.
“The problem is that Google doesn’t work in China. It’s banned in China,” says the 27-year-old who will tee it up in the Freedom 55 Financial Open starting Thursday at Point Grey Golf Club, the opening stop on the Mackenzie Tour’s B.C. swing. “We have to find different apps to make it work, there are so many stories. But you learn pretty quick to adapt and improvise stuff to make it work and get by.”
The same can be said for Wong ’s golf game at the moment. After graduating from the University of Oregon in 2012 he burst out of the gates as a professional, winning immediately.
“When I came out I had a really hot start, I won basically three tournaments in a row. But I soon realized that it’s not as easy as it seems,” says Wong.
“I realized that you have to really work at it. Nothing is easy out here. Everyone is trying to get that million-dollar cheque for winning (on the PGA Tour) at the end of the day, but it’s just not that easy.”
Wong has witnessed fellow B.C. golfers Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor emerge from golf ’s minor leagues to shine on the PGA stage, and that has given him confidence that he can one day do the same.
“You have to pay your dues,” says Wong.
“I remember both Adam and Taylor struggling for a while, but they just paved their way, they kept grinding away and now they are PGA Tour winners. I have seen it and now I just have to know when it’s my time to step up there and take advantage of it.”
Wong, who is no stranger to the Mackenzie Tour, seemed to be on track for success with two wins and seven top-10 finishes from 2012 through 2016.
But then he lost his game a little bit, and perhaps some confidence with it.
He returned home to North Vancouver early last fall to work on his game, iron out some kinks, and returned to the China Tour with a flourish by finishing third at the Clearwater Bay Open in Hong Kong in early November. That result earned him almost $20,000 in prize money, in addition to an exemption to the first three events on this year’s Mackenzie Tour schedule.
His performance in Hong Kong, where he made seven birdies in the final round and shot 66, gave many a glimpse of the player Wong was when he was dominating as an amateur. He won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the best NCAA player in 2010 and was named player of the year in Pac 10 in 2012, chosen over UCLA’s Patrick Cantlay and Stanford’s Patrick Rodgers.
He arrives at Point Grey feeling good about his game, and the golf course. He finished tied for second here in 2014.
“There are a couple parts of my game where I’ve made improvements, but there are still parts that I’m still working on like putting. I’ve been working on that and it’s better than it was when I was in college,” says Wong.
“I’ve had my downs the last yearand-a-half, but golf is full of ups and downs and you just have to figure it out and grind through it.
“We’ve been working on making my swing more consistent, because before it wasn’t very consistent. It was a bit all over the place. I don’t want to rely on timing, I want to rely on something that is more effective consistently.”
Wong hopes to spend the entire summer on the Mackenzie Tour, and earn enough money to get him status on the Web.com Tour next season. He’s got the first three tournaments in his home province to get started in the right direction toward that goal.
With entry in just the first three events guaranteed, it will come down to how he performs in order to get more events under his belt.
“Hopefully I can play the entire season, or most of it. We’ll see how it shakes out.”