Lin Wen-tang hopes it will not take another 20 years for a Taiwanese golfer to compete in the Masters.
The Asian Tour standout bowed out of his maiden major appearance after a two-over-par 74 in the second round on Friday, cutting short his dream week at Augusta National.
Lin, the first player from his country in two decades to earn his place in the year’s first major, said: “I’m not too disappointed. I learned a lot this week. [Playing partner] Zach Johnson also struggled and we spoke about how difficult the course is when the winds come up. Two over today, I’m quite happy considering the tough conditions.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
The fabled Augusta National bared its fangs on Friday, with blustery winds greeting the players following a benign day on Thursday.
Lin, who opened with a 77, held steady with an outward 36 before faltering in the winds on the home straight.
He bogeyed 10 and then dropped a second double bogey on the par three 12th when his tee shot caught a gust of wind and ended up in the water. A birdie on 13 was erased by another dropped shot on the 16th hole.
“The winds kept changing direction. I hit a pitching wedge on 12 and the wind took it into the water. It was very difficult to judge as it was blowing from all directions,” said Lin, who finished second on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit last season.
He said he would treasure his first experience at the Masters and hopes to play his way back into the prestigious tournament by getting back into the world’s top-50.
“This is the best tournament that I’ve played in. The patrons are great, there are so many of them supporting us,” he said. “I enjoyed it, although I’ll also remember the 12th hole as the one that got me this week.”
“I’ll try to come back next year. I’ll just have to get back into the world’s top-50. I’m now 62nd, so I’m not far away and will try to do it with some good results,” said Lin, who ended the week with a seven-over-par 151 total.
Despite his early departure, he received a piece of good news with an invitation to compete in the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial Tournament in June.
However, he is undecided if he will take the trip to the US as he has also been invited to compete in the UBS JGT Championship in Japan, which is on the same week as the Memorial.
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