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Jim Liu, 14, became the youngest golfer to ever win the US Junior Amateur when he lifted the trophy last Saturday, breaking the mark set in 1991 by Tiger Woods, who was about seven months older than Jim at the time.
"He has the same type of potential Tiger had at that age," said John Anselmo, Jim's coach, who doesn't mind speaking authoritatively about the best golfer in the world.
He coached Woods, who won three Junior Amateurs of his own, from the time he was 10 years old until he went off to college.
Anselmo, who teaches at Meadowlark Golf Club in Huntington Beach, Calif., didn't make the trip to Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada., Mich., last week, but he received a phone call as soon as Jim won from his father, Yiming. "Jim just broke your student's record," he told Anselmo.
"I think he is in some ways," Liu said when asked if Woods is to him what Nicklaus was to Woods.
"There are so many great junior golfers now, it's kind of hard to do what Tiger did in how he dominated the junior circuit back then," he added.
"I always knew Tiger held the record for the youngest win, but it was just in my mind. I never really thought about it during the week. It wasn't until after the round where I finally realized it," Liu said.