Abu Dhabi: China’s Wen Yi Huang will be adding another chapter to his rags-to-riches story when he takes part in this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
Twelve years after picking up a golf club for the first time, the building site labourer from Guangzhou has made a remarkable rise to fame. Golf pundits believe that Huang could break into the world’s top 100 this season as he starts his campaign here following some fine showing in 2013. He impressed in the Hong Kong Open and reached 113th in the 2013 European Tour Race to Dubai ranking.
“This will be my first time competing in Abu Dhabi and I’m feeling strong about the year ahead. My aim for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is to play consistently across all areas of my game,” said the 33-year-old ahead of the tournament.
Huang, who hails from Jiangxi province in the south of China renowned for its chinaware, was forced to move to Guangzhou after his father was seriously hurt in a building accident and slipped into coma.
As the eldest son of the family, he had to shoulder all the responsibilities and to make ends meet was forced to leave school and work for years as a labourer on construction sites.
However, fortunes changed once he managed to get a job as a caddy in 2002 at the Chung Shan Hot Spring Golf Club, China’s first golf course, built in 1984. He then moved to The Masters Golf and Country Club in Guangzhou and started to spend hours practicing.
Huang, who was earning a mere 800 yuan renminbi (Dh485) then, kept working hard and by 2007 earned his name in the amateur circuit with plenty of top 10 finishes and has not looked back.
The bricklayer-turned-golfer will tee off at this Thursday’s championship alongside a host of the world’s best, including former World No 1 Luke Donald, Abu Dhabi’s record-breaking ambassador Matteo Manassero, crowd favourite and World No 10 Sergio Garcia and reigning champion, Welshman Jamie Donaldson.
Though Huang has his work cut out for him playing against such a strong field, he is confident of putting up a good show.
“To be given the opportunity to play alongside some of the world’s greatest players is a challenge I’m really going to relish. I’m told the course will be tougher than ever and might even throw up a few unexpected results, but I intend to take them in my stride!” revealed Huang, who turned a professional over three years back.