又一箇中國英雄: 高爾夫少年關天朗

Guan Tianlang has become the latest Chinese hero to make sporting history after the 14-year-old golfer played his way to the distinction of being the youngest ever competitor in Masters history.

14歲的關天朗經過一路拼搏，成爲美國高爾夫球大師賽(Masters)史上最年輕的參賽選手(編者注：關天朗還榮獲了最佳業餘球員獎)。運動史上又一箇中國英雄由此誕生。

But the teenage amateur’s background is far from the typical rags-to-riches, product of a state sporting system story usually preferred by the Communist party. And that has not escaped the notice of many Chinese social media users.

不過，這位少年業餘球員的背景，與舉國運動體制培養出來的選手大不相同。後者往往出身普通，靠國家的栽培取得卓越的成就，這樣的成才經歷是中共更喜歡宣傳的。在中國的社交媒體上，許多網友都注意到了這種不同。

His achievement drew the usual congratulations and expressions of national pride on Weibo, the Twitter-like microblogging site which has millions of users in China. “@guantianlang, you are the hope of golf in China,” offered one user on Friday.

在中國擁有上千萬用戶的社交網站新浪微博（Weibo，中國版推特(Twitter)）上，許多網友對關天朗的成就表示了通常的祝賀，並稱關天朗讓中國人自豪。上週五的一條微博寫道：“@關天朗，你是中國高爾夫的希望。”

There were, however, also those who saw a different significance in Guan’s success in capitalism’s favourite game.

然而，對關天朗在這個資本主義世界最喜歡的運動中取得的成功，還有一些人有不同的看法。

“This is rich people’s playthings,” grumbled one Weibo user on Friday.

上週五的一條微博不滿地寫道：“這是富人的遊戲。”

“He has got to be a rich family kid,” said another.

另一條微博寫道：“他一定是個富二代。”

The plush surroundings of Lion Lake Country Club in Guangzhou, where Mr Guan took up the game and has worked hard to perfect it, are indeed in stark contrast to the bare walls of the government academies where China churns out its Olympians.

廣州獅子湖鄉村俱樂部，是關天朗開始參加高爾夫球運動並努力精進球技的地方。俱樂部裏的豪華陳設，與培養了無數奧運會選手的中國官方體校裏光禿禿的牆壁形成了鮮明對比。

The course is a playground for China’s swelling country club class. A single weekend round at the club costs about a quarter of the province’s average monthly salary. “Almost all [members] are middle class or above,” said Bao Jiuhui, deputy manager at the club.

這個高爾夫球場，是供中國不斷膨脹的鄉村俱樂部階層休閒消遣的地方。在這個俱樂部打一場週末比賽，花費約爲廣東省人均月收入的四分之一。俱樂部副總經理鮑久輝表示：“幾乎所有（會員）都屬於中產階級或上層階級。”

According to Susan Huang, a reporter for Golf Digest’s Hong Kong edition, Guan Tianlang is part of a new generation of teenage golfers in China. In the southern city of Shenzhen alone there are 70-80 teenage golfers competing regularly, she says, and teenagers are a common sight on the links in other big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

根據《高爾夫文摘》(Golf Digest)香港版記者Susan Huang的報道，關天朗代表了中國新一代的少年高爾夫球手。她表示，僅在華南城市深圳一地，就有七、八十名少年高爾夫球手定期參加比賽，而在北京上海等其他大城市的高爾夫球場上，少年球手的身影也屢見不鮮。

But the young Guan remains unusual, according to Ms Huang. He started professional training at an early age and has been competing with adults for years.

不過Susan Huang表示，年少有爲的關天朗仍是個罕見的例子。他很小就開始參加專業訓練，幾年前就開始參加成人賽事。

That pedigree has shone through at the Masters. The gangly teenager shot 73 in his first round on Thursday to remain in contention for the weekend’s final two rounds, despite being penalised a shot on Friday for slow play. His partner – two-times Masters winner Ben Crenshaw – shot 81. “He played like a veteran today,” Mr Crenshaw declared afterwards.

這種背景令關天朗在美國大師賽上十分引人注目。在上週四的第一輪比賽中，這位瘦削的少年打出了73杆的好成績。儘管由於慢打在週五被罰一杆，但關天朗最終成功晉級，獲得了參加週末最後兩輪比賽的資格。與他同組的兩屆大師賽冠軍本•克倫肖(Ben Crenshaw)在那一輪打出了81杆的成績。克倫肖賽後宣稱：“他今天的表現就像是一員老將。”

Mr Guan is not wholly unknown in his homeland. His 20,000 followers on Weibo is impressive for a 14-year old but he lags far behind China’s sporting superstars, such as tennis player Li Na, who has more than 21m followers.

關天朗在他的祖國也不算是完全默默無聞。作爲一個14歲少年，他在新浪微博上2萬的粉絲數目令人矚目。不過，這在中國體育界的超級巨星面前是小巫見大巫。比如說，網球選手李娜在新浪微博上就有逾2100萬粉絲。

As a new affluent class has grown in China over the past two decades so too has the popularity of golf. Amid controversy over shady land deals, the government has repeatedly tried to ban the construction of new courses at times. But that has done little to stymie the growth of the sport.

過去20年來，隨着中國新生的富裕階層不斷成長壯大，高爾夫球運動也越來越受歡迎。由於相關土地交易受到質疑，中國政府多次下達針對新建高爾夫球場的禁令。不過這幾乎絲毫沒有妨礙高爾夫球運動的發展。

With golf set to feature at the 2016 Olympics, both the sport and its sponsors will be hoping Guan Tianlang is another catalyst for growth.

高爾夫運動已成爲2016年奧運會比賽項目，因此，高爾夫運動及該運動的贊助商都將對關天朗寄以厚望，希望他能夠進一步促進該運動蓬勃發展。

The course ahead is likely to have its challenges. Golf is riddled with tales of teenage prodigies who promised much but failed to cut it as professionals, often wilting under the pressure of sponsor expectations.

不過，高爾夫運動的發展未來可能仍將面臨一些挑戰。高爾夫球領域流傳着許多少年神童的傳說，他們都曾被寄予厚望，但成爲職業球員後卻表現平平，往往因爲無法承受贊助商的期待帶來的壓力而成績一落千丈。

“He has to play the long game from a commercial point of view, and do fewer, bigger endorsements,” says Andy Sutherden, global practice director at Hill+Knowlton, the branding consultancy. “Put golf first, second and third.”

品牌諮詢公司偉達公關(Hill and Knowlton)全球業務總監安迪•薩瑟登(Andy Sutherden)表示：“從商業的角度來說，他必須把眼光放得更長遠一些，爲較少數量的知名品牌做代言。他關注的第一、第二和第三位問題，都應該是高爾夫球運動本身。”

Tiger Woods’ own path from prodigy to a veteran trying to overcome the disintegration of his personal life offers one cautionary tale.

泰格•伍茲(Tiger Woods)曾是一名高爾夫神童，現在雖然已是一名高爾夫老將，但卻不得不努力修復一塌糊塗的私人生活。他的故事具有警示意義。

The career of Michelle Wie, an American of Korean descent who qualified for her first major amateur tournament on the ladies tour aged 10 and turned professional at 16, offers a less dramatic example. She has signed multimillion-dollar deals with the likes of Nike and Sony. But she has not won a major championship.

至於10歲獲得首個重大業餘錦標賽女子賽事參賽資格、16歲成爲職業選手的韓裔美國球員魏聖美(Michelle Wie)，她的經歷則不那麼戲劇化。魏聖美與耐克(Nike)和索尼(Sony)等公司簽署了幾百萬美元的代言協議，卻沒有贏得任何一場重大錦標賽事的冠軍。

Keeping the number of commitments in check may end up being the key to future success for Guan Tianlang. He should concentrate on signing a small number of deals with large sponsors, warns Mr Sutherden. “If he ends up with 15 different sponsors off the back of this, the next thing you know, he’ll be another boom and bust case study.”

對關天朗來說，控制簽約的品牌數量，也許最終會成爲他未來保持成功的關鍵因素。薩瑟登警告說，關天朗應集中精力與大讚助商簽署少量代言協議。“從這點來說，如果他最終與15家不同的贊助商簽約，他將很快變成又一個曇花一現的案例。”