After Yin’s Major breakthrough, hopes rekindle for China to produce more top golfers
IN MARCH, at a press conference when China’s former top-ranked professional golfer Liang Wen Chong painted a rosy picture of golf in his country, there was a sense of scepticism among those present in the room that day.
The 44-year-old Liang, who was the first Chinese golfer to reach the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking, did not back up his strong views with substantive numbers, leaving the critics to believe that he was speaking more from the heart, rather than the mind.
That press conference where Liang was speaking at was held at the Singapore Island Country Club, where he praised two Singapore professionals, Gregory Foo and Nicklaus Chiam, and wished them well as they prepared to play on the China PGA Tour this season.
“They are going to the right place, to take their game to new levels,” said Liang. “Chinese golf is picking up fast, and that includes the Ladies PGA Tour. Don’t be surprised if we produce a champion on a big Tour.”
Liang’s words soon proved prophetic. Last Sunday (Jun 25), Yin Ruoning – a 20-year-old from Kunming who now lives in the US – became only the second golfer from China to win a Major, when she carded a nerveless final round to claim the Women’s PGA Championship in New Jersey.
That feat saw the world No 25 emulate the achievement of her compatriot, the now-retired Feng Shanshan, who triumphed at that same tournament 11 years ago in 2012.
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Before this breakthrough, there were plenty of doubts among golf fans if China would ever make it big at the sport’s highest levels, and if any success could be sustained for a long time.
Feng bulit on her 2012 Major win by finishing runner-up at the British Open in 2014 and the Evian Championship in 2019. She won a bronze medal in golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016 in Brazil. Overall, she won 22 times on the LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and the Japan LPGA. She did well enough to top the world rankings for 23 weeks from November 2017 to April 2018.
Liang and his teammate Zhang Lianwei both played in the Majors, with the latter making the cut at the Masters back in 2004 and Liang finishing eighth in the PGA Championship in 2010.
Liang and Zhang, both sparkling European Tour winners, had raised hopes of a more sustained Chinese presence on the global stage with their consistent showings in many Major events, but this did not come to pass. Many golf fans in China are still wondering what it will take for a country of more than 20 million golfers to produce more champions.
Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t help matters. China’s prolonged lockdown and the numerous restrictions on playing golf saw participation and interest levels plunge, with golfers from South Korea, Japan, Thailand and India making big strides at various international tournaments.
The revitalisation of the men’s China PGA Tour over the past year has seen many Chinese golfers make inroads into foreign Tours, namely the American Korn Ferry Tour from which some have gone on to play on the more prestigious US PGA Tour.
Currently, a host of Chinese golfers such as Li Haotong, Wu Ashun, Jin Cheng, Andy Zhang, Carl Yuan and Dou Zecheng have been performing reasonably well on the American circuit. The 26-year-old Yuan, for instance, secured a season-best 18th-place finish at the RBC Canadian Open this year after being the 36-hole leader.
Flying the Singapore flag
Singapore’s Foo, a 29-year-old who made all four cuts on the China Tour this year, had his best finish of joint-17th at the Jinan Open in May. He is now joint-27th on the Order of Merit with earnings of about S$3,600.
As for Chiam, 28, he managed two cuts out of his four events, and he is joint-39th on the Order with almost S$2,600 in earnings.
The duo, who are the leading five professionals in Singapore, will return to China after a month’s break in Singapore to play in the qualifying round for the Volvo China Open Qualifying in Wuhan in July.
“I believe the stint in China has helped us shore up our game in most aspects,” said Foo. “There are so many Chinese youngsters in the field and they are working hard to get onto bigger Tours. I like their mental toughness and physical strength.”
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