Funky China star Yuan seeks success at Travellers Championship

Carl Yuan is learning that the pursuit for perfection in a golf swing may actually be a hindrance as he seeks to firmly establish himself on the PGA Tour.

And he has to thank his wife, Cathy for steering him back to his original approach to golf, the Carl Yuan way, which is with lots of feel and a funky follow-through.

The 26-year-old struggled for much of his rookie season before securing a season-best tied 18th finish at the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago where he was also the 36-hole leader, the PGA Tour said.

With some confidence restored, Yuan successfully Monday-qualified for the $20 million Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands which will present a solid opportunity for him to ride on his new found momentum.

Yuan said he made tweaks to his game after gaining promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour but the changes messed up his swing and confidence after amassing more missed cuts than made cuts this season.

“I was aiming for more a stable golf swing and I made some technical adjustments, like the club trajectory and control of the club face. However, the results were not good. I think those adjustments didn’t fit me and I felt lost for a period of time,” said Yuan.

Cathy then stepped in. A professional golfer herself, and currently pursuing her goal to become a mental coach, she encouraged her husband to play with “freedom” which he did so successfully in 2022 with one win and eight top-10s on the Korn Ferry Tour, which helped secure his Tour card for the first time.

“I tried to encourage him to find the feeling of freedom. I was trying to give him a hint or influence him to avoid playing too technical, avoid the perfectionism. We did a lot pre-shot routine practice before the RBC Canadian Open, and I think he did well,” she said.

“For professional players, if poor performance lasts for some time, it affects the mindset, and you may lose the love for golf. it is not easy. It is hard to make a change and I told him to not think too much about the result, and try to enjoy golf.”

In Canada, Yuan showed glimpses of his best golf, shooting early rounds of 68 and 67 to hold the 36-hole lead for the first time before adding rounds of 74 and 70 to finish in the top-20. The good finish pushed him up to 164th on the FedEx Cup points list, with the top-125 retaining their cards for 2024.

Yuan’s funky follow-through swing action has drawn plenty of comments on social media but he explained it was a way for him to navigate his ball to the intended target. “I tried to play with ease (in Canada), and put attention on the route of my ball, but not on my swing. I tried to make my body feel the route, and the result that I want,” he said.

Cathy added: “Some people think Carl has a really weird finish position. He is really relaxed, and follows the rhythm of his body.”

Yuan is hopeful he can produce a strong comeback in the coming weeks and finally show his true colours against the stars on the Tour. At Highlands, he will have his game tested against a stellar line-up which includes defending champion Xander Schauffele, world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler, newly-crowned US Open champion Wyndham Clark, Rory McIlroy and second-ranked Jon Rahm.

“The competition here definitely is more severe than on the Korn Ferry Tour. The course setup is also harder. As a Tour newbie, I find a lot of challenges. On a new stage, I need to be better in every aspect. Sometimes this causes mental fluctuation for me, Yuan said.

Cathy has been undergoing mental coaching lessons with Patrick Cohn, who works with golf stars including Collin Morikawa.

“I’m always interested in psychology. I previously studied this from a player’s angle but now I want to learn from a coach’s angle. I have found it to be very interesting and I hope to develop a career as a mental coach and help more players and juniors to improve their mental game,” she said.

It now remains to be seen how much Yuan benefits from his wife’s new career.