Yuan's involvement in golf was largely due to the influence of his father, a businessman in the shipping trade in the northeastern port city of Dalian, Liaoning province.

At age 7, Yuan tagged along when his father, Yuan Dahai, played casual rounds with friends. Dahai conceded he did not see any indication his only child would one day become a professional athlete.

"He was so curious about the golf course and my friends and I playing golf," he said. "He was running everywhere and when he got tired, he would lie on my golf bag. He was so small and skinny at that time, and my caddie would drag the golf bag and him along for 18 holes.

"We let him try golf as one of his activities which included table tennis and soccer. Carl was not outstanding compared to the other kids at that time. But he practiced hard according to his own rhythm. He really likes and enjoys golf."

While Yuan received formal coaching during his youth, he has developed a unique swing and style which has made him somewhat of a social media sensation. Mostly, he produces a textbook, free-flowing swing, but on other occasions, his follow-through resembles a Shaolin martial arts master－producing a "helicopter" finish with his hands, or only has one leg on the ground as he whips the ball down the fairway.

His warm-up routine at the range includes a "hosel drill", which involves shanking shots on purpose to get his clubface square at impact. Fellow competitors often get thrown off watching Yuan warm up, but for the likeable Chinese it is simply a matter of trying to get his ball to the intended target as consistently as possible.

"I think everyone has his own style. My style and my swing fit my personality. I need to be comfortable when I swing. I follow my feelings, not those techniques, when I play," said Yuan, who represented China at the Tokyo Olympics.

"It is a little different, it gets the ball into the hole. For me, it's not really about a hard swing, more on how I get the ball from A to B and my body takes care of that. I'm not doing those swings intentionally. They just come out."