Highly regarded young Chinese golfer Li Haotong is aiming to become the first player from his country to join the PGA Tour as he chases his dream of winning a major.
The Chinese No. 3, who turned 20 in August, said it would take three years to become comfortable with the field after gaining his PGA Tour card and was under no illusion of the challenges that await him.
However, the ambition of the Hunan-born player is unmistakable.
“If you can stay there [on the PGA Tour] forever, you will win,” Li told reporters as he practiced his drives at the Hong Kong Golf Club, ahead of the Hong Kong Open, which began yesterday.
“It’s my dream to one day win a major,” he said.
The trophy he most covets is the Masters and despite the daunting scale of the challenge, he has already made impressive strides since turning pro in 2011.
Last year he became the first mainland Chinese player to join the Web.com Tour and he is based at the Bishops Gate Golf Academy in Florida.
Li has been hailed as the successor to Chinese golfing pioneers such as Zhang Lianwei and Liang Wenchong, but he has already achieved more than his compatriots had by his age. In just 10 weeks, from September to November last year, he won a US$1 million OneAsia tournament and three PGA Tour China events to break into the world’s top 200.
Li has also come to symbolize the growing popularity of golf in mainland China, but he cautioned that obstacles to the game’s growth remained.
He singled out the anti-corruption drive of Chinese President Xi Jinping, which he blamed for the closure of dozens of courses.
In March, Beijing ordered the closure of 66 illegal golf courses in a crackdown on a violation of rules protecting arable land and conserving water. However, some commentators have suggested the move was an extension of Xi’s high-profile campaign against extravagance on the part of public officials in a nation where golf is regarded as an elite past time.
“Last year it felt like golf was getting more popular, but now it’s getting a little trouble,” he said.
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