Four-Ball Delight for Dynamic China Duo at Kiawah Island

South Carolina, United States: China’s Aaron Du and Sampson Zheng did not get the opportunity to play for an NCAA title this coming weekend in Arizona, so a USGA national championship is a mighty good substitute.

The two 21-year-old rising seniors at the University of California-Berkeley, whose team missed qualifying for NCAAs by three strokes exactly a week ago, capped off a remarkable five days at Kiawah Island Club by winning the eighth US Amateur Four-Ball Championship with a 2&1 victory over Drew Kittleson and Drew Stoltz in the 18-hole final at Cassique.

They are the first number one seeds to claim the championship, and the second consecutive co-medallists to hoist the trophy, following Chad Wilfong and Davis Womble a year ago at the Country Club of Birmingham (Alabama).

They are also the second and third Cal golfers to hoist a USGA trophy; Korean Ben An, who attended the school for one year (2010-11), won the 2009 US Amateur at 17 a year prior to coming to Berkeley.

“For me it’s history,” said Zheng. “Our names are going to go down forever in history. Fifty years, 100 years later when this tournament continues on, our names are going to be on [that trophy]. That’s such an amazing thing to think about.”

Du and Zheng joined 2022 US Junior Amateur champion Ding Wenyi as the only male golfers from the People’s Republic of China to claim a USGA title, and the fifth overall from the country following Fumi (Alice) Jo (2014 US Women’s Amateur Public Links) and Ye Lei (2019 US Girls’ Junior).

Reflecting on the week in which the side played 42-under-par golf over 117 holes, Zheng said: “There aren’t too many champions from China at this level, so I really hope that this can inspire junior golfers in China to do the same in the future.

“I personally didn’t know what to expect coming out here having not played River [Course], only played Cassique [in the practice rounds]. But I definitely know that if we played to our potential that this was a possibility. I’m really glad that we played the way we did.”

Zheng and Du have both appeared twice in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC).

Zheng, currently 90th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), tied for 33rd at Sheshan International in Shanghai in 2019 and shared 20th spot at Bangkok’s Amata Spring last year.

Du, 235th in WAGR, has represented China at the past two editions of the AAC. In Abu Dhabi in 2021 he ended in a share of 18th place, and last year he was joint 44th in Thailand.

What the Champions Receive

· A gold medal
· Custody of the US Amateur Four-Ball Trophy for one year
· Exemptions into the next 10 US Amateur Four-Ball Championships (side must stay intact)
· Exemption into the 2023 US Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club
· Names engraved on 2023 USGA Champions’ plaque that will reside in the USGA Museum’s Hall of Champions