Teenage stars battle for domestic title and hope even bigger prizes await

The tropical island of Hainan is renowned as a popular golfing destination for tourists, but now China's southern-most province has two of its own to cheer on the greens and fairways.

As the No 1 and No 2 players, respectively, on the China Tour Order of Merit, teenagers Li Linqiang and Liu Enhua have taken the domestic circuit by storm and are dreaming of accomplishing even bigger feats on the global stage.

The 19-year-old Li has dominated the China Tour this season with three wins, while the 17-year-old Liu has one title to his name. Both are aiming to be atop the leaderboard when the Mitsubishi Electric FA Golf Open concludes on Sunday at Suzhou Taihu International Golf Club.

For Li, who this year has triumphed at the Jinan Open, Guotai Cup Match Play and the Guotai Open, the motivation to win this week in Jiangsu province has special meaning.

" (PGA Tour regular) Dou Zecheng has always been my role model. I read that he is the only player to win four times on the China Tour. I want to follow in his footsteps and also win four times. Hopefully I can do it on Sunday," he said.

Both Li and Liu grew up in Haikou, Hainan's capital situated in the north of the island, and took different paths to the pro game. While Liu was a child prodigy, training and competing regularly from the age of 6, Li didn't pick up a golf club until he was 9.

With his parents originally hailing from Harbin in the northern, often-frozen Heilongjiang province, neither played golf. His father's brother, however, did and introduced the young Li to the sport on a sun-drenched island that boasts more than 20 golf clubs, including the Mission Hills Haikou complex where 10 courses surround the massive resort.

"My first coach was Sun Xiuhua, one of the first-generation lady professionals in China. Then I followed a Spanish coach," said Li. "Golf was a relatively late interest for me in contrast to my counterparts, but I immediately fell in love with the game and took it seriously."

His dedication quickly paid off. In 2017, Li made the cut at the Hainan Open as a 13-year-old to become the youngest player to do so on the European Challenge Tour — which co-sanctioned the event.

Li turned pro in 2022 after winning the China Tour Qualifying Tournament, and soon came close to collecting his first title, losing a playoff to Ma Chengyao at the Hengdian Championship.

"I thought I was close to the win, I have the game to win. It inspired me," said Li, whose current world ranking is No 1,424.

"I managed to get my first win at Shandong Guyun Lake Golf Course (at the Jinan Open). Going into the final round, I was three shots behind. Chen Guxin was the leader. He played solidly, but the wind picked up late in the final round, and while Chen struggled down the stretch, I grasped the chance."

Having pocketed 351,168 yuan ($48,015) in prize money so far this year, Li sits comfortably atop the order of merit, and cannot be overtaken this week with the winner's purse of 90,000 yuan.

But with four tournaments left in the season after this week, several players are looking to overtake him in the run-up to the season-ending CGC Championship.

The money-list winner this year automatically receives a full-playing card for next season on the DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour.

Liu, second on the money list with 230,253 yuan, is among those gunning for the title. The teenager got his first taste of glory on the circuit in May when he won the Exciting Hangzhou West Lake Open, beating Chen Guixin by one stroke. He then finished runner-up to Li at the Guotai Cup Men's and Women's Professional Match Play in August.

"My plan didn't change after my first win. I tried to qualify for the Asian Tour last year but failed. I will try again this year. But this win shows me that I am good enough to have won on the China Tour and I am able to go a step further," said Liu, also a second-year pro.

The DP World Tour is another goal, even though he concedes he may be too far behind Li on the money list to catch him.

"Still, I will try to qualify for the DP World Tour. I would be exempt into the final stage of Q-school as a top-three player on the China Tour. I don't want to miss the boat. I enjoy my tour life. I love golf and travel, I can see many new places," said Liu.

Li, in contrast, said he preferred not to think about what's at stake.

"I know I dominate now, but anything could change at the Volvo China Open where the purse is $1.5 million. I don't want more stress. The greens in Suzhou are different from last week (in Hangzhou). I need to spend more time on the greens," he said.

No matter who finishes top of the money list, Li is looking to the future with confidence.

"In 2020 and 2021, I hit the bottom and was struggling with self-doubt. But you know, it could be a blessing in disguise. Everyone can slump at some point in their career. I learned and grew from the experience," he said.

"I will also try to qualify for the Japan Tour. I think it's a good place for me to develop. And I also have a chance to play on the European Tour."