"At the moment, I don't believe that Ye has too many close rivals of the same age, " Watson told the European Tour website.

CNN: Golfing prodigies: 12-year-old Ye set to make history

As an art professor at the Sichuan Institute, who teaches 40 students one month each semester in Dali, Mr. Ye believes you can't always dictate the terms of creativity.

WSJ: Inside the Home and Studio of Ye Yongqing

The raw speed of Ye's final 50-meter freestyle isn't unprecedented, either.

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