Carl has his eyes on cash prize
SUZHOU, Jiangsu province — “Carl” Yuan Yechun will play for money for the first time at this week’s 1.5 million yuan ($220,000) Suzhou Open after turning pro on Tuesday.
The move came two days after he helped China win a silver medal in the Asian Games men’s team competition in Indonesia.
The tournament is being played at the Gary Player-designed Jinji Lake Golf Club and is the 10th of 14 events on this year’s PGA Tour Series China, with the top five on the money list earning cards for next year’s Web.com Tour.
The 21-year-old Yuan now expects to face pressure of a different kind after representing his country in the Asiad, where compatriot Jin Cheng won bronze in the individual competition.
“Playing the Asian Games is a lot different to playing a pro event because we are representing our countries and you have a lot more pressure, but it’s a great experience to have,” said the big-hitting Yuan.
“I learned a lot being able to see athletes from other countries and how they compete,” added the man who in July became only the second amateur to win on the tour, following in the footsteps of Jin.
“I’ll play this week with the same heart as I always do. It’s cool that I get to do something I love for a living. I just have to keep myself relaxed and do the things I always do. Other than getting a check, nothing much changes.”
Yuan won the tour’s Yantai Championship in July, but was unable to accept the 270,000 yuan winner’s check due to his amateur status.
“I’m excited to play this tournament as the course is great,” he said.
“I love it. It’s a mixture of styles and I’ve never seen anything like that before. Half of the course is absolutely different to the other half, but it’s a great course and in great condition.
“You have to hit the ball pretty far here. It’s a big-boy course. You can’t just be scooping around and expect to hit a good score, especially in windy conditions. I’m expecting to play well this week.”
England’s Callum Tarren, currently second on the order of merit, was also competing last week after accepting an invitation to play in the European Tour’s Czech Masters in Prague, where he shared the lead after the first round before finishing tied 29th.
The 27-year-old said he “felt comfortable” topping the leaderboard alongside established names like John Daly, Gavin Green and Thomas Pieters, so has gained confidence as he tries to catch American Charlie Saxon in the money-list race.
“It was good preparation for coming out here because it was a month off (from the tour). I played just to get my game sharp and went out and shot 8-under,” said Tarren.