Every time Hu Mu stands on the golf course, he knows he is following in the steps of his idols, Zhang Lianwei and Liang Wenchong.

Zhang, 43, is the icon of a generation of golfing pioneers in China. Liang, 30, is the face of the second generation, making waves on the world stage.

Now people are expecting Hu to lead a new generation of Chinese golfers into even more international glory.

Both Zhang and Liang have won on the European Tour, and last year Liang took another piece of history by topping the Asian Tour's Order of Merit.

Hu is widely recognized as the player with the most potential to compete in the US PGA tour. The 18-year-old from Shenzhen first picked up a club at age 7 and quickly began tearing up the junior golf ranks.

When he was 11, Mu won the 15- to 18-year-old division at the 2001 China Junior Golf Open. At 15, he won three times on the US junior circuit and played in a few events on the Asian Tour, highlighted by an 11th-place finish in the Sanya Open.

But Hu would like to start concentrating on sharpening his swing and honing his putts. He does not want to get distracted by the lofty expectations of others.

"I am still young and have a lot of work to do with my swing and putts. In China, the length of my swing is good but it is far from enough when competing against strong opponents in US," said Hu, who moved to the US with his family to train, compete and study at age 11.

To prepare for the next phase of his young career, Mu employed a swing coach, David Leadbetter, who has tutored many of today's top players, including another Asian wunderkind by the name of Michelle Wie.

"I will not give myself any pressure concerning my golf career. Now I am 18 and the first thing I care about is to graduate from high school this year and then go to college."

Academic achievements

Thanks to his impressive academic achievements, Hu has been admitted to the University of Florida, a school with top-tier golf and academic programs.

"There are golf tours among colleges in the US. It's a very high level and competitive. I am looking forward to my campus life," Hu said. "I think it will be a turning point in my life. I plan to turn pro after college and then choose where to start my pro career. The ultimate in golf is to be a member of the US PGA Tour."

Hu's father also believes college life will play a significant role in Hu's career, and he agrees it is not yet time to turn pro.

"It is time for him to pursue better academic achievements and also time to get physically and mentally stronger," said Hu Jiansong, a successful businessman. "I will not push him to turn professional. I think we should spend more time setting up a solid base for a future career. There is no rush for him to earn money as a pro."

Hu's parents have supported him his entire life, helping him along his career path since he was a child. His dad even serves as his caddie for competitions in China.

But now, as the son becomes a man, Hu knows he has to depend more on himself.

"I will suggest to my father that he does not talk too much when I am competing. I want to try to think of the situation by myself. I want to test myself more and I cannot rely my father too much."

Hu showed some signs of maturity during last month's KEB China Korea Tour, a tournament featuring the top 60 players from China and Korea.

Hu finished tied for 21st in a hard-fought competition, the third best result by a Chinese. Experienced pros Yuan Hao and Xu Qin finished tied for seventh and 18th, respectively.

"I think I played very well in this tournament. The weather was unpredictable but I was able to adjust very well. My father was still the caddie, but I tried to learn how to play the best golf in different weather by myself and it worked out well."

Before his high-school graduation, Hu hopes to compete in three major golf tournaments in China, which he sees as the best gift for his college career.

"I am looking forward to having a chance to compete in April's Volvo China Open in Beijing, BMW Open in Shanghai and May's Beijing Open."

Hu is already partway there, having advanced to this weekend's Volvo China Open final with an impressive win in qualifying competitions and was one of only 13 to advance out of the 156 qualifiers.

"The Volvo China Open and BMW Open are European Tour events and they would be the best stages to polish my skills.

"If I could compete in all three big tournaments and make the cut, whether the result is good or not, it could be the best ending my high school career."

(China Daily April 17, 2008)