Amateurs Dominate at China LPGA Tour Qualifier

Wanning, Hainan Island, China: With a closing two-under 70, Pan Jiehong cruised to a four-stroke victory in the China LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.

The 17-year-old Haikou amateur fired three birdies against a solitary bogey over the East Course at The Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula for a 54-hole score of eight-under 208.

Hard-charging Ji Yuai was equal runner-up after a blistering round of seven-under 65, tied with fellow amateur Xue Zixuan (68).

Chongqing amateur Fan Shuangshuang (68) was equal fourth with Xiamen amateur Yang Manlixiang (71). Zeng Liqi, the 15-year-old amateur who led after the first round, closed with a 74 to finish sixth.

Li Fang (74) was the top professional in equal 11th at the tournament where the top-20 finishers received their full-time playing cards for the 2022 China LPGA Tour season.

Going into the final round with a two-shot lead, Pan, an eight-time winner on the China amateur circuit last year, never saw her lead seriously challenged in the sunny but windy conditions at the seaside course.

“My strategy in the final round was to be stable and maintain the advantage I created yesterday. My distance is not dominant, so I played the last four holes very hard. To catch a birdie on the last hole was very unexpected, a happy ending,” she said.

“During the round I saw the gap between Ji and me narrowing and I was nervous. But the good thing is that I am steady, there are no mistakes.”

Ji, who started nine strokes back, made the turn in two-under 35. An eagle three at the 495-yard 12th hole was followed by four further birdies over the next five holes. Her lone bogey came at the par-five last.

“I didn't think I could get such a good result. I am very satisfied. My irons and putter were pretty good,” said the 17-year-old Dalian native, who is 175th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

“Throughout the day, I kept creating birdie opportunities, some of which I made and others I missed. That’s golf. During the round I didn’t pay attention to the real-time leaderboard, but I knew I was gradually narrowing the gap.”

Xue, ranked 225th in the WAGR, carded five birdies over the final seven holes to get close. “I played very relaxed today. My putter was not good enough, but I managed to seize some opportunities in the last nine holes,” she said. “This week, I have seen that there is still a lot of room for improvement.”

Li Bing (79) got the lone hole-in-one of the tournament when the Heilongjiang native hit a perfect shot on the 171-yard 17th hole for her first career ace. The Shanghai-based amateur, who has been playing golf for less than three years, finished tied for 50th.