The Chinese are coming, warns prodigy
Li Haotong, whose third-place finish at the British Open saw him touted as a future major winner, has a warning for the established golfing elite: The Chinese are coming.
The supremely confident Li only turned 22 in August and is ranked 66th in the world.
But his startling performance at Royal Birkdale in July saw some experts tip him for the top.
Li heads an emerging cast of young golfers jostling to be the first truly world-class player from China and he is clearly not short of self-belief.
“Golf in China is really popular right now and there are so many juniors and good young players coming up,” he told AFP in Shanghai ahead of the $9.75 million HSBC Champions, which tees off Thursday.
“In the next five years we will see a lot of young Chinese players play on tour.”
Does that mean a Chinese world No.1 in the next few years? “Maybe one day, I wish,” said Li, whose maiden European Tour victory came at the 2016 China Open.
Asked if that could be him, he replied with a laugh, “Probably.”
Soon after Li’s success in the summer, which qualified him for next year’s Masters at Augusta, bespectacled countryman Dou Zecheng became the first Chinese to earn a PGA Tour playing card with Zhang Xinjun soon following.
Li knows that he will have to deal with growing expectations from Chinese fans, starting this week in Shanghai.
It was there two years ago that he first caught the eye by finishing in a tie for seventh place with Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Matthew Fitzpatrick. But he struggled to follow up that success last year and finished down the field.
“Everybody is hoping that I play well here at home,” he said.
“Last year was a lot of pressure but this year is more relaxed and I plan to enjoy the week.”
On Wednesday, tour officials announced at the HSBC Champions that the PGA Tour China series will return with a full schedule of tournaments in 2018 after this year’s schedule was scrapped.
Uncertainty loomed over the series, which has produced Li and Dou, after the initial threeyear deal with China Golf Association ran out in 2016.
The tour runs similar series in Latin America and Canada, rewarding top players with a passage to the PGA Tour through the Web.com Tour.
Beginning in the spring of 2018, each event will offer an increased prize purse of at least 1.5 million yuan ($225,855).
Top five money-winners at the end of the season will earn 2019 Web.com Tour membership and at least 15 additional players will have access to the latter stages of the Web.com Tour qualifying tournament.