Tokyo Olympics: Carl Yuan sacrifices his PGA Tour ambitions to fly Chinese flag

Name: Hong Kong’s most successful Olympian: Swimmer Siobhan Haughey wins second silver
Uploaded: 2021-07-30T04:03:26.000Z
Duration: 5 min 46 s
Description: Hong Kong’s most successful Olympian: Swimmer Siobhan Haughey wins second silver

Yuan returned to China in June for centralised Olympic team training, losing chance to earn a lucrative PGA Tour card

‘I’m playing for a whole country that supported me all along the way,’ says 24-year-old, who is targeting ‘revolutionary’ medal

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Carl Yuan of China plays his shot from the 17th tee during the third round of the Wichita Open at Crestview Country Club on June 19, 2021 in Wichita, Kansas. Photo: Getty Images

Agence France-Presse

Published: 12:03pm, 30 Jul 2021Updated: 5:10pm, 30 Jul 2021

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Carl Yuan put his pro career on hold to win Asian Games team silver for China three years ago, and he has put country first again to target a Tokyo Olympics medal that he says could be “revolutionary” for golf in the world’s most populous country.

Yuan’s goal is to emulate female Chinese player Feng Shanshan’s 2016 Rio Games bronze, but that meant returning to China in June for centralised Olympic team training and losing the chance to earn a lucrative PGA Tour card.

China’s No 1 missed several tournaments on the PGA Tour’s second-tier Korn Ferry circuit, which could have seen him finish inside the top 25 to gain his PGA Tour credential.

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Hong Kong’s most successful Olympian: Swimmer Siobhan Haughey wins second silver

“Yeah, it was a little bit of sacrifice,” Yuan told AFP after shooting a two-under par 69 in the first round at Kasumigaseki Country Club on Thursday to be six shots off the leader Sepp Straka, and tied with luminaries such as major winners Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama.

“But it’s only my third year as a professional golfer, and there’s a lot ahead of me,” said Yuan who wants to show Chinese golfers can mix it with the best, despite none being currently ranked inside the world’s top 300.