Guan Tianlang set to shine at HK Golf Open

HONG KONG - Chinese golf sensation Guan Tianlang is set to shine at the Hong Kong Golf Open, which will be held from December 5 to 8 in Fanling.

The youngster only turned 15 last month, but his appearance at the Hong Kong Golf Club will bring down the curtain for a year that even Hollywood's finest writers could not have scripted.

Having qualified for this year's Masters Tournament by winning the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Guan made a figure in the golf world by becoming the youngest player in history to make the cut in a Major Championship and finishing 58th at Augusta National.

The eye-catching performance ensured Guan a level of celebrity that most professionals would be proud of as he secured invitations to play in a further four PGA Tour events before returning to China in August to resume his studies and practice schedule.

Guan will then make a long-waited return to the world stage at the Hong Kong Golf Club where Miguel Angel Jimenez will defend his title.

"I am thrilled to have been invited to play in as prestigious an event as the Hong Kong Open," said Guan. "This year has just been an incredible journey for me. Making the cut at the Masters was a very special achievement for me and I hope to be able to produce a similar performance at the Hong Kong Golf Club in December."

"When you get the opportunity to play against world class players you can't refuse because it is the best environment to learn and gain experience and I would love to play all four rounds at the Hong Kong Golf Club," added Guan.

Joining Guan at the Hong Kong Open will the country's another most promising young talents, Hak Shun-Yat.

It was in November 2008 when Hak, aged 14 years and 304 days, made history as the youngest player to make the cut in a European Tour event at the Hong Kong Open.

That record has since been reset by Guan's cut-making performance at the Masters (aged 14 years and 169 days).

Hak was part of the Hong Kong men's team which claimed the silver medal in China's National Games this September, and he will be hoping to continue that form at Fanling in the first week of December.

Co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours, the Hong Kong Open will be the third tournament in the 2014 Race to Dubai and will be the 13th stage since it became part of the European Tour in 2002.