The spotlight returns to Guan, who is starting to get into his stride. He smartly dismisses a question about his belly putter – "Yes, I think I'll use it at Augusta because I've been practicing more with it than the other one" – and explains his itinerary for what will be the biggest week of his life to date.
"I will go to Augusta a day or two after arriving,” he says. “And I hope to play two or three times a week before The Masters begins. On the Tuesday before the event I will play a practice round with Mr Tom Watson and if I had my choice I’d get to play with Tiger Woods once the event starts.
"I watch the Masters every year and I am very lucky to have Mr Nick Faldo here as a three-time Masters champion. I can ask him questions and I think he will give me great answers."
It might have been the mention of eight-time major winner Watson – who Guan partnered with at the Emirates Australian Open late last year – which brings about a commitment from Faldo to play the curtain-raising Par-3 Tournament on the Wednesday of Masters week with him. Faldo, given his television commitments and quiet withdrawal from the playing side of the game, no longer participates at The Masters, which as a former winner he is forever given the opportunity to do.
Faldo, despite his somewhat standoffish reputation as a player, is these days an amenable chap and is more than happy to offer his services.
"The fifth major for me now is the Par-3,” he says, laughing. “That’s all I am gearing up for. I’ve hit three wedges since the middle of December, for TV. So we’ll play the Par-3 and we can talk all you want. I can tell you what to plan for, what to take in and a couple of secrets, where the putts break. There are things about that golf course that are pretty special.”
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