Shanghai, China: The growing strength of Chinese women’s golf, led by teenage amateur phenoms Xu Ying and Zhou Shiyuan, will be showcased at this week’s Women’s China Open.
A total of 108 players will vie for the trophy at the CLPG Tour’s flagship RMB1 million tournament, where past champions include former world number ones Shin Ji-yai and Park Sung-hyun of Korea, China’s Janet Lin Xiyu, Angelina Ye Lei and last year’s winner, Ji Yuai.
At Enhance Anting Golf Club, all eyes will be on a talented group of Chinese amateurs who have taken this season’s domestic circuit by storm.
In 11 CLPG Tour tournaments this year, six have been won by amateurs, led by 16-year-old Xu Ying, who has won twice, Zhou Shiyuan (15), Liu Yujie (15), Ren Yijia (16) and An Zining (17).
The current Points Leader is 18-year-old fledgling professional Wang Zixuan, who has won once this year, and will start among the front-runners chasing their national Open crown on Friday.
Xu enters this week’s showpiece in confident mood after earning low individual honours at the women’s World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy in Singapore a fortnight ago, where she helped Team China finish joint fourth. Following a tied-seventh finish in the Buick LPGA Shanghai on Sunday, where she was the leading Chinese, Xu is now on a mission to claim the Women’s China Open title following her joint runner-up finish in the event last season.
“Last year’s Women’s China Open left a deep impression on me. I played very well in the final round, which earned me the ‘Best Amateur’ award and the second runner-up finish in my career. That memory is still vivid,” said Xu, who is 20th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
“The highlight of the season was winning my first CLPG Tour title (in April). That moment fulfilled a life-long goal. I first competed on the Tour in 2021 when I was only 11 or 12 years old. Playing alongside seasoned professionals has taught me so much, and every tournament has been a valuable learning experience that has helped me grow into a better player.”
Xu hopes to follow in the footsteps of China trail-blazer Feng Shanshan, who has since retired, and current world number seven Yin Ruoning, who have won a combined 15 titles on the LPGA Tour. “They are world-class golfers and make us proud as Chinese players,” said Xu. “They have set a great example and continue to inspire me to keep moving forward. They have shown to young golfers like me what is possible.”
For now, Xu is targeting a victory at Enhance Anting, which also hosted the men’s Volvo China Open in April. “This tournament means a great deal to me. Winning here would give me greater confidence and add valuable experience for my future competitions. I truly love golf. The challenge of battling with a little white ball and constantly comparing myself against my own limits fascinates me. Golf has given me some wonderful achievements, and I will continue to work hard to pursue my dreams.”
Zhou Shiyuan, who has won three times against the professionals in the past two seasons on the CLPG Tour, is also dreaming of lifting the Women’s China Open trophy.
“The Women’s China Open is one of the most prestigious events for every Chinese golfer. To compete in this event is not only about honour, but also about responsibility and dreams – it truly is the highest form of recognition. Winning the Women’s China Open would go beyond any of my previous tournament victories,” said Zhou, who also represented Team China in the Espirito Santo Trophy and was tied-11th at the LPGA Tour event last weekend.
Current CLPG Tour number one Wang Zixuan finished runner-up in the 2023 Women’s China Open and hopes to improve by one rung this week. “That result gave me the confidence to turn professional, making this tournament one of the most important starting points of my career,” said Wang.
“The Women’s China Open stands as one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country. To win here would be a chance to share my journey, from an amateur player to a professional champion, in front of a home crowd.”
Meanwhile, aspiring Southeast Asian talents including Thailand’s Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong, Singapore’s Amanda Tan, Malaysia’s Ng Jing Xuen and Indonesia’s Holly Victoria Halim are also in the field, aiming to become only the third international winner on the CLPG Tour this season, after Japan’s Rio Takeda and Atthaya ‘Jeeno’ Thitikul of Thailand.