China’s Haotong Li tees up at the Corales Puntacana Championship on the PGA Tour this week with every hope to live up to the old adage that good things come in threes.
Following recent victories by countrymen Ashun Wu and Carl Yuan Yechun on the DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour respectively, the former world top-50 golfer is counting on his turn to enjoy some good fortunes and make it a hat-trick of wins for his nation when he competes at Corales Golf Club in the Dominican Republic.
“I appreciate this opportunity, for me to gain more points and pursue my golf dream,” said Li, who is competing in the US$3.7 million event on a sponsor exemption.
“The wins by Ashun and Carl gave me a lot of motivation. I am glad to see them win and their efforts were well rewarded. Their wins have a lot of impact on China golf.”
The 26-year-old Li, who was a member of the International Team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, is looking to bounce back from a dip in form and has shown glimpses of his best golf with a tied 12th finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii on the PGA TOUR in January followed by a equal third place finish at the Ras al Khaimah Championship on the DP World Tour last month.
With the Corales Puntacana Championship being the opposite event to the 64-man World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas, the Chinese golfer is keen to make the most of his opportunity and post a strong week in the Caribbean.
“I felt great when I played well in those events (Sony Open and Ras al Khaimah Championship) and it gave me confidence. I want to bring the good form to this week,” Li said.
“I think I need some adjustments on my swing and restore my confidence. I think I still need to make progress, I need to take it step by step to get back to the top.”
A two-time winner on the DP World Tour, Li has beaten the likes of Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka in head-to-head duels. He defeated McIlroy in the Dubai Desert Classic in 2018 and Koepka in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2019 to progress into the fourth round. He also shot a final round 63 to finish third in the 2017 Open Championship and held the 36-hole lead at the 2020 PGA Championship before finished tied 17th. Li was ranked as high as 32nd in the world before enduring a difficult run of form.
Wu won the Magical Kenyan Open earlier this month for his career fourth DP World Tour title while Yuan claimed his maiden Korn Ferry Tour victory at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS last weekend to get to within touching reach of a PGA Tour card for next season.
