PGA Tour: China’s Carl Yuan out to get shake off tough start to rookie season at Houston Open
- Yuan has missed his first three cuts, but but after a two-week break is ready for challenge at Memorial Park
- The 25-year-old has struggled to adjust to the tougher course at the top level
China’s Carl Yuan is confident he will find his footing on the PGA Tour after a rough start to his rookie season, starting with this week’s Cadence Bank Houston Open.
The 25-year-old from Dalian has missed the cut in his first three tournaments since earning his Tour card, which he got by virtue of finishing second on the Korn Ferry Tour.
But after an almost non-stop year of golf, a two-week break at home has provided him with a timely reset ahead of this week’s event at the Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.
There will be another challenging field to contend with though, with world No 2 Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, Yuan’s compatriot Marty Dou and Asian stars Hideki Matsuyama, Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An all playing.
“I was just hanging out at home and working with the coach,” Yuan said. “It’s a pretty relaxing two weeks as I haven’t taken a break for a while. It’s felt like I’ve kept on going this whole year, so it was nice to have some time off.”
For Yuan, one of the major challenges has been the step up in courses, where any weakness in the short game is quickly exposed and ruthlessly dealt with.
“The courses are playing differently than on the Korn Ferry Tour,” he said. “They’re more punishable off the tee and for missing the greens, so it takes a little time to get used to that.
