14 Year Old Pros?

What were you doing at age 14? Well, for Chinese golfer Guan Tianlang, he is playing in The Master’s. Not just playing, but he made the cut to become the youngest ever to do so. (For those of you like my mom, the cut means he golfed well enough to keep playing.) This Master’s encompasses a very large age group, covering from the 14 year old, Guan Tianlang to the 53 year old, Fred Couples. Golf is a sport where you can play very young (or old) but most kids don’t do anything special except make their high school golf team.

This got me thinking about other sports. In contact sports (or most pro sports) there is an age limit. In the NHL you must be at least 18 years of age, and in football you must be three years removed from high school. One exception to this was Gordie Howe who was on the Red Wings’ roster at age 17, but didn’t play until he was 18. In baseball, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are already superstars and they are only 19 and 20, respectively. Movies sometimes don’t follow these rules. For example, in the movie Rookie of the Year, there is a young teenager pitching for the Chicago Cubs. In the MLB, you must be 16 to even try out for a farm team so this could not actually happen. However, in other sports like gymnastics you must be extremely young. Most Olympic gymnasts are between 14 and 18. It’s crazy that once you get over 20 in gymnastics, you’re considered old.

So, I must say, I’m one year away from being 14, but I have no plans of doing anything more than some school sports next year. Some of my friends dream of playing in the pros, but know that it is a long time away. Congratulations to Guan Tianlang for his performance, and good luck in your career.