13-Year-Old Makes History At Challenge Tour Event
Louis Klein shot two rounds of level-par to become the youngest player to make a Challenge Tour cut at just 13-years-old
It's no secret that professional golfers are getting younger. If you look at the top-10 of the World Rankings, for example, it is littered with players under the age of 30, with both the men's and women's games featuring young stars who will likely become household names in the future.
One of those individuals, who could make a big splash in the golf world, is 13-year-old Louis Klein who, at the Kaskada Golf Challenge on the Challenge Tour, became the youngest ever player to make a cut on the circuit, at 13 years, 9 months and 24 days.
"It's a nice tour. I love playing with the pros."At 13 years, 9 months and 24 days, Louis Klein becomes the youngest player to make a Challenge Tour cut 🎥#KaskadaGolfChallenge pic.twitter.com/lDoCTw4wPaJune 16, 2023
Firstly, that is some seriously impressive golf, especially when Klein was born in 2009, in the same week that Paul Casey secured his first PGA Tour title at the Shell Houston Open!
It's not the first time that we have seen the 13-year-old amateur's name in a professional event though. At the D+D Real Czech Masters in 2022, he made his debut on the DP World Tour and, although he missed the cut, it was just a few holes that let him down on the way. Along with the missed cut, he also claimed a men's professional tournament that year as he came from five shots back to secure a two-shot win at the Els Club.
Speaking at Kaskada Golf Resort, Klein, who fired two level-par rounds to make the cut by one shot, stated: "It feels good. It's amazing that I did it. I played good, but sometimes I made some mistakes but that's golf. So far I've played four events, but I would like to be here, a lot. It's a nice Tour, I love it, being able to play with pros, to see how they play and compare them with my game."
Taking up the game of golf at five-years of age, whilst on vacation, Klein has quickly established himself within the game and, at just 13-years-old, is already turning a lot of heads with his game. However, despite the possible hype, he seems to have remained grounded, with Klein claiming that his focus is on this weekend, with no plans going forward into the future.
Along with Klein, we have already seen 14-year-old, Louise Uma Landgraf, secure the Terre Blanche Ladies Open on the LET Access Series this year and, famously back in 2013, Guan Tianlang made the cut at the Masters at just 14-years of age. Since then, Tianlang has played college golf for the University of Arizona and occasionally featured on the PGA Tour Series China and China Tour before it disbanded in 2020.
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Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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