A little erratic, but Li escapes
China’s Li Haotong was an escape artist in Thursday’s opening round of The Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, using a brilliant short game to salvage tough pars en route to a bogey-free 3-under 69 to sit tied for 13th.
The 23-year-old Li, who missed the cut at TPC Sawgrass in his debut last year, birdied three of his opening six holes before scrambling home for a solid start in the PGA Tour’s flagship $12.5 million tournament.
Li missed seven greens in regulation but produced some short game artistry and clutch putting, including draining a 14-footer to save par on No 8 and a 12-footer save on his final hole of the round.
“Compared to last year, today was way better,” said Li, who trailed co-leaders Tommy Fleetwood and Keegan Bradley by four shots. “It was a solid round.”
Following the switch in tournament dates from May to March this year, the Chinese star, who is currently ranked third on the International Team points list for the Presidents Cup, said the Stadium Course was receptive to good scoring.
“The difference is the weather. It feels more comfortable and the golf course is softer, but you still have to hit the shots,” said Li.
“I hit more fairways and rolled in a few putts on the first six holes. Then I needed to hole a few 15-footers to save par. I had a lot of birdie chances from 15 to 20 feet, but they didn’t drop.”
With top-20 finishes at the World Golf Championships HSBC Champions and WGC Mexico Championship this season, Li is aiming to make the most of his appearance at The Players to secure his PGA Tour card through the FedExCup nonmember points category.
He knows he needs to remain on top of his game to give himself a chance of contending.
“I think I need to hit more fairways around here over the next couple of days to make my second shots easier,” he said.