Amateurs Yuxin Lin, Joaquin Niemann see Masters' effect on the game

When 17-year-old Yuxin Lin started playing golf a decade or so ago, Tiger Woods served as role model and inspiration. It’s a shared sensation among the game’s younger generation. From his first swings at age 6, Lin wanted to hit the ball like the iconic four-time Masters champion.

Lin, a Masters rookie, hasn’t met his idol, although their paths crossed briefly two weeks ago at Augusta National Golf Club.

“He was having a practice round, and I hit a poor tee shot on 1 and hit like a 50‑yard hook with a gap wedge in front of him, but didn't really get a chance to say hi to him,” Lin said Tuesday.

The powerful left-hander flashed his enormous potential last October in a brilliant birdie-eagle finish to break a tie and claim the Asia-Pacific Amateur championship. He drove the green from 361 yards out on No. 17 at Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand and ripped a 5-iron 216 yards into the wind to set up the closing eagle and earn the Masters invite.

“I dreamed about playing golf and the Masters since I started playing golf,” he said. “This is a dream come true for me.”

Joaquin Niemann, 19, finished in similar fashion in January to seize the Latin America Amateur crown in his native Chile, firing a final-round 63 to atone for a playoff loss the year before. Niemann spent Monday night in the Crow’s Nest, the upstairs apartment in the Augusta National clubhouse reserved for amateurs. On the wall is a photo of defending champion Sergio Garcia from 1999, holding the trophy he earned as low amateur in that year’s Masters.

“And I hope that one day I have the same picture there with the amateur trophy,” Niemann said.

PHOTOS: Tuesday's Practice Round at the Masters

He played a practice round with Garcia and Rafael Cabrera-Bello on Tuesday morning.

The top-ranked amateur in the world, Niemann will turn pro next week. He’s received sponsor’s exemptions to the Valero Texas Open, AT&T Byron Nelson and Memorial Tournament and will attempt to earn status on the PGA Tour this year.

He also practiced at Augusta National two weeks ago.

“I like to see a lot of videos on YouTube from the Masters, like the 2000 Masters or the 2005, when Tiger won. I like to see like the shots that they do and try to learn something,” he said. “But yeah, it's really interesting to see some videos of like 10, 15 years ago and see how the course has been the same for always.”

Inviting the best amateurs and international players have been committee priorities since the first Masters. With help from the game’s governing bodies, the Masters started the Latin America and Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships to help promote golf’s growth in those regions.

Lin, who has committed to attend the University of Southern California in the fall, has seen conditions and accessibility improve. He estimated there were only 300 to 400 kids in China playing golf when he started.

“Yeah, it's definitely improved a lot,” he said. “So back when I started, the facilities and stuff were kind of bad. We were hitting like off mats, and it's really hard to find a property where you can actually hit off grass, so it's going to be like really expensive. But nowadays the China Golf Association, they're starting to build some practice bases. So, yeah, they're wonderful facilities, it's just easier for the kids right now to practice.”

Niemann, who attended the Masters last year in support of countryman Toto Gana, has seen a similar effect at home.

“You can see this year in Chile there was a lot of people following me in the last group,” he said. “I think that that is nice to see the little guys, to motivate and practice every day to someday be here playing in the Masters.”