Fortinet Championship: Carl Yuan becomes third Chinese golfer to compete on PGA Tour
- Yuan’s arrival is the culmination of years of hard work and patience, and he is not planning on rushing his next move.
- The 25-year-old targets a PGA Tour title and a top-30 spot within five years, but admits ‘I may need some time to get adapted’
Carl Yuan will become only the third mainland Chinese golfer to compete on the PGA Tour when he tees off in the season-opening Fortinet Championship on Thursday – and he has already set his sights on being in the world’s top 30.
The 25-year-old earned his spot after finishing second in the Korn Ferry Tour rankings, and will be joined for the 2022-23 season by compatriot Marty Dou Zecheng, who returns for a second crack at the main tour after a low-key debut in 2018.
Yuan’s arrival is the culmination of years of hard work and patience, and he is not planning on rushing his next move.
“I hope I can have a PGA Tour title within five years, and be in the world top 30,” he said. “The PGA Tour is a new platform, and I may need some time to get adapted.”
Yuan’s involvement in the sport was largely down to the influence of his father, a businessman in the shipping trade where Dalian is known as a port city in northeast China.
At age seven, Yuan tagged along when his father, Dahai Yuan, played casual rounds with friends, and the older Yuan conceded he did not see any inclination his only child would one day become a professional athlete.