14-year-old Guan Tianlang makes Masters cut despite penalty

AUGUSTA, Ga. - China's Guan Tianlang had been the talk of Augusta National Golf Club this week, impressing everyone with his golf game as a 14-year-old and the youngest contestant in the history of the Masters.

After being assessed a 1-stroke penalty for slow play on the 17th green Friday during his second round, Guan impressed everyone with his class even though it could be said he was being made the scapegoat for the entire field playing at a snail's pace in the windy conditions.

"I respect the decision they made," Guan said after a 3-over-par 75 left him at 4-over 148 for 36 holes and, for a time, in danger of missing the cut (though he did make it). "It was a 1-stroke penalty on the 17th. I think they should do it with respect to everybody."

For hours, it appeared the penalty stroke would result in Guan's missing the 36-hole cut. It wasn't until Jason Day, in the last group of the day, missed his birdie try on 18 that the eighth-grader Guan was assured that he would be playing on the weekend under the Masters rule that guaranteed two more rounds for anyone finishing 10 shots or fewer off the lead.

Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters competition committee, said Guan's group, which included Ben Crenshaw and Matteo Manassero, was deemed to be out of position at the 10th hole under the tournament's pace-of-play guidelines.

Rules officials began timing Guan on the 12th hole and gave him his first warning after his second shot on the par-5 13th when it took him well over the maximum 40 seconds to execute his shot. With his approach on the par-4 17th, he "exceeded the 40-second time limit by a considerable margin," Ridley said.

When he walked off the green at 17, Guan was informed by John Paramor, chief referee of the European PGA Tour, of his penalty. Guan's par score on the hole became a bogey.

"I just changed my routine before the Masters, and the routine is good," Guan said. "But I think today is pretty hard because if you're timed only 40 seconds, it's pretty hard because you need to make the decision [how to play the hole]. The wind switched a lot. But that's for everybody."

He said he tried to go a little faster after his warning at 13 but admitted some difficulty making the decision on club selection.

The 61-year-old Crenshaw, a two-time Masters champion, said: "I'm sick for him."

"When you get the wind blowing out here, believe me, you're going to change your mind a lot," he said. "I'm sorry. I'm a player. But it is not easy to get around this golf course the way it's set up for two days. I am so sorry this has happened. It's not going to be pretty."