On Tuesday morning at the Olympic Club, the 14-year-old Andy Zhang joined a backup of golfers waiting to tee off on the par-3 third hole in a bottleneck that began rubbernecking.
Zhang, a native of China who lives in Florida, moved closer to study Y. E. Yang, whose victory over Tiger Woods at the 2009 P.G.A. Championship ignited interest in men’s golf in Yang’s homeland of South Korea.
A few feet away, Nicholas Thompson stood eyeballing Zhang, the male equivalent of Thompson’s sister, Lexi, who at 12 became the youngest golfer to play in the United States Women’s Open. “He’s a big kid,” he said.
Thompson’s father, Scott, who has shepherded the career of his golfing progeny, including his middle child, Curtis, who’s playing in college, said: “He’s 14? That’s awesome.” He added, “What’s his name?”
Zhang rocketed into the spotlight Monday night when he became the youngest competitor in the United States Open, according to the United States Golf Association. A second alternate at the start of the day, he was added to the 156-man field to replace Paul Casey, who withdrew with a bad shoulder after Brandt Snedeker scratched because of an injured rib.
It was the second time in as many days that a Chinese golfer had made history. On Sunday at the L.P.G.A. Championship, Feng Shanshan, whom Zhang knows mostly by reputation, became the first player — male or female — from mainland China to win a major.
The news of Zhang’s big breakthrough was delivered by a U.S.G.A. official on the practice green. “Before I got the news, I was trying to act cool,” Zhang said. “When I found out I was in, I started screaming, and I gave my mom and caddie hugs. It was one of my best moments.”
It was proof, too, that father doesn’t always know best. Zhang traveled here from Orlando, through Phoenix, on Monday with his mother and against the advice of his father, who cautioned against getting his hopes up. Zhang’s flight arrived at San Francisco International a little after noon, and he was at the Lake Course by 2.
One of his first acts, after being shown to his clubhouse locker, was to sign up to play a practice round early Tuesday with Bubba Watson, the reigning Masters champion, and Aaron Baddeley, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour.
The grouping offered a study in contrasts: there was the 33-year-old Watson, who acts younger than his years, and Zhang, whose maturity makes him seem older. “He looks 25 until he smiles and you see his braces,” Watson’s caddie, Ted Scott, said of Zhang, who is 6 feet tall and solidly built. “He’s mature enough to qualify for the Open.”
Zhang was introduced to the game at 6 ½ by his father, a recreational golfer who shoots in the high 90s. At the two-tiered driving range in Beijing where Zhang’s father took him, a South Korean coach, An Qi Huan, happened to see Zhang’s first swings. He told his father that Zhang had talent and offered to work with him. “If he hadn’t been there that day, I would not be here,” Zhang said. “I would still be in China going to school every day.”
At 10, Zhang traveled to the United States to participate in two junior tournaments and was transfixed by the quality and sheer number of courses. “I liked it a lot,” he said. “In China you don’t ever get to hit range balls off real grass. You have to hit it on a mat.” He added, “Golf hasn’t developed too much in China. It’s not really as good as here.”
Accompanied by his mother, Hui Li, Zhang moved to Florida to attend the IMG Leadbetter Academy in Bradenton. He has learned a lot there, he said, and he received more schooling on Tuesday from Watson and Baddeley.
Early in the round, Zhang asked Watson if it was O.K. to play a second ball. According to Scott, Watson said: “Dude, you’re in the tournament. If you want to hit another ball, hit another ball.”
On one hole, Watson told Zhang how to play a shot out of rough that was thicker than a sheepdog’s coat. After 10 holes, Watson peeled away to putt on the practice green, leaving Baddeley to provide the one-on-one instruction.
The fairway on the second hole narrows like an hourglass roughly 270 yards from the tee. Using his driver, Zhang put his tee shot into the right rough. He teed another ball and listened as Baddeley explained why it was advisable to use a three wood or hybrid. Taking his advice, Zhang landed his second ball in the fairway.
“I just want to learn as much as I can out here,” he said.
Zhang aspires to follow in the footsteps of Feng, Yang and other trailblazers. “I want to be that person,” he said. “I do. I want to make my country proud and one day, hopefully, I can represent my country in the Olympics.”
He is off to a promising start. Zhang is one year younger than Tiger Woods was when he tried to qualify for the Open for the first time — and failed. “It’s not too young if you can do it,” Woods said. “That’s the great thing about this game. It’s not handed to you. You have to go out and put up the numbers and he did.”
The oldest player in the field is Michael Allen, who is 53 or, as he was reminded Tuesday, old enough to be Zhang’s grandfather. He found it hard to fathom that his competitors include a 14-year-old.
“Did you check his birth certificate?” Allen joked. He added, “God almighty. Well, different genes than I got. I find that truly amazing. What’s his name?"
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