中國高爾夫球運動實現兩項歷史性突破

China, a country once renowned for its proletarian pride, is experiencing a surge in that most patrician of sports: golf.

Associated Press14歲的中國高爾夫球手張華創成爲歷史上入圍美國高爾夫公開賽的最年輕選手。中國一度以其無產階級自豪感而聞名，而現在一項非常貴族化的運動卻在這個國度異軍突起，這就是高爾夫。

Over the weekend, 22-year-old Chinese golfer Feng Shanshan claimed women's golf's LPGA Championship title by shooting 6-under-par for the week, becoming the first Chinese player to win a major tour event and title.

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images22歲的中國高爾夫球手馮珊珊成爲中國第一位贏得重要巡迴賽事和錦標賽冠軍的球手。上週末，22歲的中國高爾夫球手馮珊珊以低於標準桿六杆的總成績奪得女子高爾夫LPGA錦標賽冠軍，成爲中國第一位贏得重要巡迴賽事和錦標賽冠軍的球手。

As if that weren't enough, 14-year-old Chinese golfer Andy Zhang made history of his own on Monday by becoming the youngest player ever to qualify for this week's U.S. Open after Briton Paul Casey withdrew because of a shoulder injury.

好像這還不夠似的。本週一，由於英國人卡西(Paul Casey)因肩傷退出比賽，14歲的中國高爾夫球手張華創成爲歷史上入圍美國高爾夫公開賽(U.S. Open)的最年輕選手，從而創造了他個人的歷史。

"It's going to be a great experience, hitting balls next to Tiger Woods," Zhang, who also played a practice round with this year's Masters winner Bubba Watson, told ESPN, noting his surprise that the older pros had been "very nice" to him and were giving him good tips."I need to make sure I'm not in a dream right now."

張華創接受ESPN採訪時說，能跟老虎（伍茲）一起打球，這將是一次很棒的經歷。他說他驚奇地發現年長職業球手對他非常和藹，還給了他很多指點。他說，我得確定現在不是在做夢。張華創還曾跟今年大師賽冠軍沃森(Bubba Watson)一起打過一場練習賽。

The triumphs of Feng and Zhang are a boon to China's global sporting ambitions, though they're the sort of development that probably sets Mao Zedong's waxen body to spinning it its glass case on Tiananmen Square. Despite some claims that the sport was invented in China, golf was banned under Mao as a bourgeois indulgence. Even now, with the Communist Party having embraced entrepreneurs and luxury brands rushing to cater to the country's nouveau riche, the sport remains a somewhat controversial hobby due to concerns over the growing tracts of precious arable land being appropriated to build courses.

馮珊珊和張華創的勝利對於中國的國際體育抱負來說是一場及時雨。儘管有人聲稱高爾夫運動是中國發明的，但這項運動在毛澤東年代卻被視爲資產階級腐朽生活方式而遭禁止。即便是現在，在企業家以及各奢侈品牌爭先恐後服務中國新富階層的情況下，出於對越來越多的寶貴耕地被徵用修建高爾夫球場的關切。

That history is likely one reason that China - which reportedly only opened its first golf course in 1984 - hasn't experienced the same success in the sport as some of its neighbors.

這段歷史可能是中國在高爾夫運動中尚未取得一些鄰國那樣成功的原因之一。據報道，中國在1984年纔開了第一個高爾夫球場。

While Asian peers like South Korea dominate the golf circuit - the country has 24 golfers in the LPGA's top 100 - Ms. Feng is the only mainland Chinese golfer to appear on either the men's or women's top 100 rankings (though Taiwanese golfer Yani Tseng is the women's No. 1).

雖然高爾夫運動被韓國等其他亞洲國家主導（韓國球手在LPGA前100名中佔了24名），但馮珊珊是男子及女子100強當中唯一一位來自中國大陸的高爾夫球手。臺灣球手曾雅妮在女子100強中排名第一。

Estimates show the number of golfers in China ranges from 300,000 players to 3 million - still just a drop in the bucket in a country of 1.3 billion. But with golf set to reappear in the Olympics in 2016, the country known for coveting gold medals is placing a new emphasis on the sport.

對於中國高爾夫球手的數量存在各種各樣的估計，數字從30萬到300萬不等，在中國13億人口中，這仍然只是很小的一部分。但由於高爾夫在2016年將重新成爲奧運會比賽項目，中國這個以熱衷於贏得金牌著稱的國家正在對這項運動給予新的重視。

One example of that effort, highlighted in a report by the state-run Xinhua news agency earlier this month, is a school in southern China's Zhuahi city in Guangdong province that offers free golf training to kindergartners. Letting "children get in touch with golf is a good trial," Liu Tie, head of the Industry Planning and Development Department of the Zhuhai Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, told Xinhua.

國有媒體新華社(Xinhua News Agency)本月早些時候的一篇報道爲這一動向提供了佐證。報道說，中國廣東省珠海市的一家幼兒園爲學齡前兒童提供免費的高爾夫球培訓。珠海市文體旅遊局文化產業規劃與發展科科長劉鐵對新華社說，讓兒童接觸高爾夫球是個很好的嘗試。

Helping to fuel the interest is the growing number--and increasing outlandishness - of golf courses in the country like the world's largest Mission Hills golf club on southern Hainan Island, which continue to be built despite a nationwide moratorium on new courses.

助長人們對高爾夫球興趣的還有中國數量越來越多、同時越來越具洋氣的高爾夫球場，比如位於中國海南省的世界最大高爾夫球場──觀瀾湖高爾夫球會(Mission Hills Golf Club)球場，儘管中國已在全國範圍內暫停建造新的高爾夫球場，仍然有不少高爾夫球場正在興建當中。

Most recent available statistics suggest China has around 500 18-hole courses, compared with more than 15,000 in theU.S.

可以得到的最新統計數據顯示，中國擁有大約500座18洞高爾夫球場。相比之下，美國有超過15,000座18洞高爾夫球場。

For her part, Feng told the LPGA she hopes that her success can help to inspire young golfers in Chinathe way tennis champion Li Na has.

馮珊珊對女子職業高爾夫球協會(LPGA)說，就她自己而言，她希望能像網球冠軍李娜那樣，以自己的成功鼓舞中國年輕的高爾夫運動員。

"Hopefully [my win is] going to help golf in Chinabecause I want to be [tennis star] Li Na for golf in China. I want to be like a model that the other juniors can follow my steps and get on the LPGA,"she said. "There are good players fromChina, young players, right now. I became the first one, but I'm sure there will be a second, third, more people winning in the States and winning majors. "

她說，希望我獲獎能有助於中國高爾夫球運動的發展，因爲我想成爲中國高爾夫球領域的李娜。我想成爲年輕人的榜樣，讓他們踩着我的腳步打進LPGA錦標賽。她說，中國現在就有優秀的運動員，年輕的運動員。我成爲了第一個，但是我敢肯定，還會有第二個，第三個，甚至更多人在美國獲勝，贏得大獎。

"I think, you know all of the Asians are good. That's what my parents told me. All of the Asians are good at controlling small things. I don't know if that's true or not. But I will say if Koreans can, Chinese can, and golf inChinais really growing up and getting more popular. I believe in the futureChinawill be one of the strongest countries on golf."

馮珊珊說，我認爲，所有的亞洲人都很出色。我父母就是這麼告訴我的。亞洲人都擅長控制小巧的東西。我不知道是不是這樣。但是我想說，如果韓國人可以，中國人就可以。高爾夫球運動在中國的確正在發展，也變得越來越流行。我相信未來中國會成爲高爾夫運動最強的國家之一。