Li savoring dream debut at Augusta
Years of watching Masters on TV pays off with sizzling first round
Every year when he was growing up in Shanghai, Li Haotong stayed up all night to watch the Masters, analyzing famed Augusta National with dreams of someday competing in the legendary tournament.
That dream came true on Thursday, when the 22-yearold fired a 3-under 69 to grab a share of fourth place after the opening round of his Masters debut.
Jordan Spieth had a twostroke lead after a scintillating 6-under 66.
“It’s kind of like a dream come true,” Li said afterward. “I learned a lot from watching TV, which is unreal.”
When he arrived at Augusta National and saw the Masters layout in person for the first time last week, Li was overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity.
“Everything’s amazing ... it’s just like on the TV,” he said.
“I just watched on TV all the time ... never once missed watching the Masters. It’s quite unreal to be playing here. It’s such a big honor.”
Li definitely learned his lessons about Amen Corner, the 11th, 12th and 13th holes so named because they often decide the fate of Masters hopefuls.
He birdied all three holes — a rare feat, even with the effort bookended by bogeys at 10 and 14.
“My first round was quite solid. I made a lot of putts. I wanted to stay patient and make some putts,” he said.
“I thought I’d be nervous on the first tee, but I was OK. I’m happy to have such a great opening round.”
His impressive debut round at Augusta was just the latest highlight of Li’s history-making career since turning pro in 2011.
The son of a golf-loving entrepreneur, Li launched his pursuit of glory on the inaugural PGA Tour China in 2014, a pathway circuit offering promotion to the higher ranks, where he notched three victories to lift the Order of Merit and progress to the Web.com Tour in 2015.
He garnered more attention by tying for seventh at the 2015 WGC-HSBC Champions on home soil before winning the China Open in 2016 for his first European Tour victory.
Last year, Li made the world sit up and take notice after placing third at the British Open, the best Chinese men’s result at any major, following a stunning final round of 63 at Royal Birkdale to punch his ticket to this year’s Masters.
Li made headlines in February after outdueling former World No 1 Rory McIlroy to win the Dubai Desert Classic and become China’s first male golfer to crack the world top 50 rankings.
“I got a lot of confidence from beating Rory that week,” Li said.
“I’d been struggling a little bit on my putting, so I’ve been working a lot on that. Today I made a lot of par saves, par putts. So I just have to keep going.”
Li’s consecutive breakthroughs on the global stage have further fueled hopes that he could join golf’s elite and ignite interest in the game in China.
His Dubai win might also be viewed as a good omen because the two previous winners — Danny Willett and Sergio Garcia — went on to victory at the Masters.
“It’s a good sign for myself, and hopefully I can join them,” he said.
With exemptions into all of this season’s majors, as well as the World Golf Championships and potentially The Players Championship in May, Li hopes to earn his PGA Tour card through the non-members exempt category.
Tiger Woods, the center of attention this week with his comeback from spinal fusion, said Li is the vanguard of a vast Chinese talent wave.
“Li is now up there and I think it’s only a matter of time before you have more professional players from China playing in the Masters,” said Woods, who opened with a 1-over 73.
Joining Li at Augusta is schoolboy sensation Lin Yuxin, who was invited to play in the Masters and the British Open after winning the 2017 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in New Zealand. But the magnitude of the moment appeared to rattle Lin in his major debut — especially on the greens.
“A lot was going on today and I wasn’t feeling as good as in the practice rounds. My putting was terrible today,” Lin said after a 7-over 79 to tie for 82nd on Thursday.
China’s Guan Tianlang (2013) and Jin Cheng (2016) debuted at the Masters after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship the previous year.
Guan, at 14 years and five months, became the youngest player to make the cut in a major championship.
AFP contributed to this story.