Sampson Encouraged by Strong Jakarta Showing

Jakarta, Indonesia: For the second time in less than a year, Sampson Zheng has been left to ponder what might have been after losing out in a sudden-death play-off.

At Royal Melbourne Golf Club last October, Zheng was pipped at the post by Australian Jasper Stubbs in a three-way play-off at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) that also included his fellow-Chinese Ding Wenyi.

It was a bitter pill for third-round leader Zheng to swallow with starting spots in this year’s Masters Tournament and Open Championship on the line.

Some 10 months on, Zheng, who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley last year, has moved on. He’s now making his way among the ranks of the professionals.

From four International Series appearances, he’s already had two top-20s, highlighted by a tie for fourth at last month’s International Series England that saw him rise more than 650 places in the Official World Golf Ranking, breaking into the top 1,000 for the first time.

Continuing his impressive run of form, Zheng contended at last week’s US$500,000 Mandiri Indonesia Open, coming ever closer to that maiden professional win.

With rounds of 65, 73, 72 and a closing 68, Zheng ended the regulation 72 holes in a share of first place with England’s Steve Lewton and Australian Aaron Wilkin.

As had been the case at Royal Melbourne, Zheng had to settle for joint second place at Damai Indah Golf – PIK Course, just north of Jakarta, edged out this time by Lewton at the second extra hole.

Nonetheless, consolation for Zheng this time came in the shape of a cheque for US$42,500, taking his earnings beyond the US$125,000 mark and moving him upto 21st on the Asian Tour Order of Merit in his rookie pro season.

Reflecting on his Indonesian performance, Zheng said: “I kept myself in it the entire day. I had my first three-putt of the tournament on nine, which kind of sucked. But I bounced back nicely with a birdie on 10, and there were a couple of putts that didn’t quite fall my way on the back nine.

“I gave myself opportunities all day, and that’s what I wanted to do. So overall, happy with the performance.”

Entering the final round in Jakarta, Australian Harrison Crowe, the 2022 AAC winner, was just to strokes behind Zheng in joint ninth place.

However, a closing 74 saw him drop into a share of 30th place. It was his second best finish in six Asian Tour starts this season, bettered only by a tie for 28th at the Saudi Open presented by PIF in April.

Zheng and Crowe were team-mates in the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation side that defeated their European Golf Association rivals in the Ryder Cup-style Bonallack Trophy in Spain last year, when both were still in the amateur ranks.