Augusta (United States) (AFP) – Hiroshi Tai will make history as the first Singaporean golfer to play in the Masters this week, but the 23-year-old can count on a strong Georgia connection to buoy his bid for low amateur honors at Augusta National. Tai secured his place in the field for the year’s first major almost a year ago, when he won the NCAA collegiate championship representing Georgia Tech. It’s the alma mater of US golf great and Augusta National co-founder Bobby Jones — and creates a link to this day between the club and Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jackets teams.
But Tai said Monday that the drive down Magnolia Lane felt “a little different” when he was arriving to prepare for his first Masters. “Obviously being at Georgia Tech and there’s a lot of history involved with the Masters with Bobby Jones being a founder and obviously he played at Georgia Tech, graduated from there,” Tai said. “So there’s a lot of history at Georgia Tech and connected with the Masters. It has been a really cool experience.” And driving down Magnolia Lane, not even today, just any other day, would be amazing,” he said. “Definitely enjoying it a lot.”
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But Tai, who got his first taste of major championship golf when he played the US Open at Pinehurst last year, is also boosted by strong support back home, and he’s proud to be the first from his country to play the Masters. “I think it means a lot to me because I’m obviously proud of where I’m from and have a lot of friends and family that live there,” he said. “My parents still live there. It has been a really cool experience so far, and I’ve really enjoyed everything about it. I’m really honored to be here, as well.”
Born in Hong Kong to a Singaporean father and a Japanese mother, Tai was introduced to golf in Singapore when he was four and honed his game at Windermere Prep school in Florida. His golfing aspirations had to wait while he completed his Singapore military service, but he said his Georgia Tech experience has accelerated his progress. “I think playing college golf, especially at the Division I level, you’re playing with some of the best amateurs in the world,” he said. “A lot of them have had success on PGA Tour events as amateurs and as college players, so I think you’re really playing against some of the best players you can find at that level, and it has really helped me grow as a person and as a player in the last couple of years.”
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