IU golfer the 1st Chinese-born golfer in nation

When IU junior Ren Han walks down the course with his golf bag on his back, he is carrying much more than clubs with him – he has a whole country on his shoulders.

Han was the first Chinese-born athlete to play men’s collegiate golf in the United States.

“It definitely means a lot to me,” Han said. “I think it might even mean more to China because I know it was a big deal in my home country.”

The presence of Han playing college golf has paved the way for Florida’s Mu Hu and Georgia Tech’s Minghao Wang, also natives of China.

There are currently five China-born men’s golfers playing Division I golf.

Han said he moved to Richmond, British Columbia in 2003, a move that was made smoother with British Columbia having about 400,000 Chinese citizens.

The recruiting process for Han and the IU coaching staff was also easier than normal for an international player.

“He played everywhere in all the junior events,” IU men’s golf coach Mike Mayer said. “He played all over the United States, and we watched him in a number of tournaments.”

A 2005 American Junior Golf Association All-American honorable mention, Han knew IU was the place for him after taking his official visits.

“I was looking at a few other schools, but I felt like at my list of schools IU was the most diverse,” Han said.

Han finished as runner-up in his second career tournament as a Hoosier, the Pinehurst Intercollegiate, a course that has played host to the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens.

“It is not an easy golf course, or a short golf course, and Ren made it look pretty easy,” Mayer said.

Han capped off an impressive freshman campaign by playing in every tournament
during the spring season for the Hoosiers, including the NCAA Central Regional.

“I felt like I played well there, and it was definitely one of the best tournaments I have had in the past few years,” Han said.  “That was a good experience, and when I look into the future I can definitely find some queues from that tournament.”

Last summer, Han returned to his homeland and played in two Omega China Tour Events, which included a 13th-place finish in the Dongfend Nissan Open.

This fall, Han has already played in two tournaments for the Hoosiers, with his best finish being a tie for 62nd at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational.

Han returned to his hometown of Shenzhen, China, this past weekend to play in the Asian Amateur Championship.

A first-round seven-under par 65 put Han in first place of the tournament. The winner of the Asian Amateur Championship receives an exemption into the 2010 Masters.

Closing round scores of 78, 68 and 76 earned Han a tie for 11th place at one-under par.  Mayer said he hopes Han’s play in China will give him and his teammates confidence for the rest of the season.

“He feels good, and he is probably a little bit in his element,” Mayer said. “It shows Ren what he’s capable of doing and, hopefully, he comes back and shows the team what he is capable of doing.”

When Han came to Bloomington in the fall of 2007, he was one of four international players. Now he is the only one.

Mayer said there are both positives and negatives to recruiting players from outside the United States.

“Obviously, the difficulties in going overseas is it’s difficult to watch players and, although you know what you’re getting from an athletic standpoint, you don’t always know what your getting from an academic standpoint,” Mayer said.

Standing at only 5 feet, 5 inches tall, the diminutive Han is still making adjustments to the American lifestyle on and off the course.

“Generally, courses are probably a little more diverse in the States,” Han said. “Mainly, the difference is in competition and that is one of the reasons I moved to Canada.”