Tianlang Guan's success expected to help golf grow globally, add junior players

Tianlang Guan playing in next week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans is something that had its genesis long before his impressive showing in last week’s Masters. The 14-year-old amateur golfing sensation from Guangzhou, China, accepted a sponsorship’s exemption to the event and has arrived in New Orleans.

The tournament will be played April 25-28 atTPC Louisiana.

Guan and his family stayed in New Orleans last May with friend Peter Chen, making Lakewood Golf Club his base of operation as he played in several junior events and a U.S. Open qualifier at Lakewood.

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As Golf's Best Gather at the Masters, Sponsors Await Big Pay Day

The 2013 Masters Golf Tournament—one of the few golf tourneys that the world outside of the golf community actually cares about—kicked off Thursday morning as brands watch helplessly, hoping and praying that one of thier golfers is the one pulling on the famed green jacket by weekend's end. 

As Forbes points out, last year’s winner, Bubba Watson, wasn’t a big name outside of the golf world before the Masters got underway last year. Though by the end of the tournament, his main sponsor, Ping, had generated $14.2 million in media value, according to brand analyst and research firm Repucon. That's triple what the next brand, TaylorMade, got out with at $4.5 million. 

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