OCEANSIDEOCEANSIDE — The pressure of an 8-foot, curling, right-to-left putt for par?
Please.
Nemo Tsai knows what it’s like to feel the heat in the kitchen. Literally. The 12-year-old from Ann Arbor, Mich., who’s competing this week in the IMG Academy Junior World Championships, was a participant in the Food Network’s “Kids Baking Championship” last year.
Despite not having much baking experience before landing a spot in the reality TV show, Tsai made it to the final five before his timer went off. Cakes are his specialty.
“Whenever I get a chance to slip bacon into my baking, I do because I love it,” he said.
The kid’s as comfortable with a driver in his hands as he is a spatula. He cooked up nine birdies Tuesday to shoot a 9-under 63 at Arrowood Golf Course, taking a 1-shot lead in the boys 11-12 division.
Tsai (pronounced sigh) is colorful, starting with his first name, Nemo, after the fish in “Finding Nemo.” His 8-year-old sister, who’s also playing in the tournament, is named Lilo after the movie “Lilo & Stitch.”
“His mom’s a Disney freak,” said Nemo’s father, Paul.
A casting agent recruited Tsai to audition for the cooking show after spotting the kids’ Instagram . The Tsais own a Japanese food market and restaurant in Ann Arbor and Nemo has been helping out since he was 5.
First he stocked items at the store. Then he opened doors for customers at the restaurant.
“He found out customers would tip him,” said Paul. “That got him interested.”
From there, Nemo served as restaurant host, delivered water, collected menus, even helped out in the kitchen making sushi rolls.
“I pretty much helped out wherever I could,” he said.
Of his son’s sushi choices, Paul said, “It’s a little more exotic than his dad likes. These younger kids, that TikTok generation, they try to make some crazy things.”
Tsai was so popular on the “Kids Baking Championship” that he was invited back for a Halloween special called “Oh My Gourd!”
Nemo’s mother and aunt played tennis at Eastern Michigan. Cousins play at Georgia and Florida. Nemo’s first sport was tennis, too, but one day after belting groundstrokes, his grandfather took him to the driving range.
Pretty soon, he put the racket in the closet and was dedicated to striping Titleists. He plays about 20-25 junior tournaments a year and has twice finished in the top six at Junior Worlds.
Asked which he likes more, baking or golf, Nemo said, “Golf for sure. I don’t think it’s even close. You could say I compete on the same national level (in both) but the golf course is where I belong. I’m out here almost every day and night in the summer.
“I wake up, go to the golf course, practice ’til dark, eat dinner, then do it all over again the next day.”
His golf fascination was heightened a few years ago when he met LPGA sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn. The sisters were playing a tournament in Ann Arbor and became regulars at the family restaurant.
Now they’re his godparents.
At 5 feet 7, 160 pounds, he hits it long, cranking one drive during a Monday practice round 280 yards.
“I mean, it was downwind, rock hard (fairway),” he modestly said.
In case you couldn’t tell, Nemo, who’s sponsored by Titleist, TaylorMade and a Thailand clothing company, has some flair.
After coming from five shots back to tie the leader in the final round at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship last year in Pinehurst, N.C., Nemo was treated to hundreds of spectators chanting his name as he approached the 18th green. Once on the putting surface, he cupped a hand to his ear, wanting to hear more.
He wound up losing in a four-hole playoff.
Said Tsai, “I’m chasing that world title.”
