IF everything goes according to plan, Malaysia will have an extra athlete joining the squad for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio for the re-introduced sport of golf and Gavin Kyle Green should then be a household name as he would then be a world beater.

Every country has been looking for a Tiger-beater – the common terminology for finding a golfer who can dominate the game the way Tiger Woods has been doing since 1999 – and Gavin should be our version.

In fact, the plan is for him to be a major player on the world stage in 2016.

Last week, I had the honour of playing a round with Gavin and Italian youngster Matteo Manassero at the pro-am of the Maybank Malaysian Open (MMO) 2013 where, for the first time in weeks, I had been able to get away from all the talk about GE13.

Gavin finished joint 22nd while Matteo, who won our national championship two years ago, finished joint 17th in the tournament that came to a premature end because of rain.

Playing with these two youngsters not only showed how bad my game was – I have played golf longer than these two guys have been on earth – but also how bright their future is.

Matteo was just 18 when he won the MMO 2011 and has now grown into a confident young man with his sights firmly set on bigger things like winning the Masters or even the British Open.

Matteo, who turns 20 next month, already has three European tour victories so far since turning professional in 2010 when he was 17.

Gavin, who is eight months younger and turns 20 on Dec 28, is a giant of a man at over 1.87cm and hits the ball very far. He was about 30 to 50 metres ahead of Matteo on every fairway.

However, where Matteo lost out in distance to Gavin, he made it up in accuracy. It was as if this Italian youngster was playing target golf. This is the kind of game normally associated with older players who have had to sacrifice distance.

Matteo displayed the same sort of maturity as the older players and so he should, as he is a three-year veteran of the tough globe-trotting European Tour.

While the Italian was cautious and measured, Gavin was carefree and fearless. Nothing on the golf course seemed to worry him and he was never afraid to try to challenge himself.

Gavin is now studying at the University of New Mexico and is a member of the golf team.

Playing on the US college circuit, Gavin has been ranked as high as ­ No. 22 out of hundreds of collegiate golfers by the Golf Week magazine.

But it is his playing statistics that are amazing. He is now the longest hitter in the US college golf averaging 320 yards (292m) and can hit it 30 yards (27m) longer if needed.

To put it in perspective, Gavin is way longer than Tiger Woods who averaged just about 300 yards (274m) at the Arnold Palmer Invitation at Bay Hill to recapture the World No. 1 position.

But as his coach Tony Maloney puts it, Gavin is much more than about distance.

“He is ranked number two in putting as well as greens in regulation. He is number five in the number of birdies made,” Maloney said in an interview as he watched his charge zip round the KLGCC West Course last week.

Gavin is also ranked as the number 39th amateur player in the world.

“He is the real deal and his desire to win as well as his willingness to try makes him a very good example for any young aspiring golfer.

“Gavin has got soft hands – it’s the same like the other great golfers. They all have big hands but soft when you shake hands with them. Big soft hands indicate a feel for the game,” said the Australian golfer who has played and lived in Asia for decades.

However, maturity bested strength as Matteo finished better (just) than Gavin, and Maloney admits that Gavin is learning that length and brute strength isn’t everything and there is a need to improve his course management. But his three rounds at the MMO got a lot of attention.

Dave Mcneilly, who was Matteo’s caddie, watched Gavin for three days and was really impressed with the young Malaysian.

“He is the real deal. He is as talented or even better than the likes of Rory McIlroy or even Lee Westwood when they were his age,” said Mcneilly who has caddied for the likes of Nick Faldo, Nick Price, John Daly, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Retief Goosen.

So Mcneilly knows what he is talking about when he said Gavin was the “real deal”.

However, like many talented athletes, Gavin is at the stage where he can easily go from hero to zero if he does not make the right choices.

His parents Gary and Vivienne are in Malaysia while Gavin is on his own in the US and there are many distractions for a successful jock in college.

His mother does spend a lot of time with him via the laptop but recruiting agents with multi-million ringgit deals can lure a young man down the wrong road.

That is why it is important for Gavin to stay in college until he graduates and stay as an amateur until then. He should have a full college education and his Italian opponent agrees.

Matteo said he wished he had a chance to play US collegiate golf and enjoy college life.

“Gavin is lucky. He has taken the US route and should stick with it. Turning professional at a young age is not for everyone,” said Matteo.

Gavin should try to qualify for some PGA Tour events or get some invitations to these tournaments. If he wins while he is still in college then he will be so much more “valuable” when he turns professional after graduating.

The contrast between Matteo and Gavin is a pleasant difference because they represent two very bright futures following different paths which hopefully lead to the same pinnacle – both contending to be number one.

The world is their oyster and if they do the right thing, it will be their’s to rule.

> Executive editor Wong Sai Wan hopes that the young voters will emulate the attitude of Gavin, who is not old enough to vote in the coming general election, but is sensible enough to do the right thing.

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