Guangzhou, China: Teenager amateur Xu Ying will be aiming to continue her impressive run of form when the CLPG Tour returns from its summer break with this week’s Jackfish Guangdong Women’s Open.
A two-time winner on the CLPG Tour this season, the wiry 16-year-old has good reason to feel confident about her prospects of further success following a productive spell in the United States.
The Zhuhai native has risen to 33rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) on the back of a third-place finish at the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship in Indiana and qualification for the match play phase at the US Women’s Amateur Championship where she was eliminated in the round of 32 at Bandon Dunes in Oregon.
Reflecting on her Stateside visit, Xu said: “Ultimately, I want to play on the LPGA Tour, so this trip was about gauging where I stand against the world’s top amateurs – how big the gap is – while also experiencing the local culture.
“Overall, it was a great experience and I’m quite satisfied with my performance. The Junior PGA Championship was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect such a strong field. The tournament atmosphere was fantastic with a really high level of competition that felt like a major. As for the US Women’s Amateur, it’s a major in itself. Competing there was truly a privilege.”
Joining Xu in the field this week at Guangzhou’s Huamei Luhu Golf Club is Zhou Shiyuan, the top-rated Chinese female amateur at 26th in the WAGR. Lile Xu, Zhou has already triumphed among the CLPG professionals and was a member of the winning Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Patsy Hankins Trophy team against the European Golf Association in the United Arab Emirates in January.
With a purse of RMB700,000, the Jackfish Guangdong Women’s Open marks the start of eight events in the second half of the season to determine the CLPG Tour’s first ‘Points Queen’.
Unlike previous seasons where the money leader won the Order of Merit, this season the CLPG Tour has introduced a more scientific and equitable points ranking system to determine the leading golfer of the year.
Wang Zixuan currently leads the CLPG Tour Points Ranking with 216.125 points and the Beijing native is raring to go after a relatively quiet summer where she focused on training rather than competition.
“During the break I worked on drawing, fading, punching shots and various technical aspects. The practice went well. The key now is having the confidence to execute these shots in competition,” said Wang following her practice round over the par-72, 6,432-yard layout.
The teenager, who captured her maiden title in March at the Golfjoy Women’s Open at Mission Hills Golf Club in nearby Dongguan, called it ‘an honour’ to currently lead the points list, but added now was the time to step up her game to finish the year strongly.
Others in the field this week include top Thai Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong, the former Order of Merit champion who is second with 155.5 points, and Lin Xin’en, fifth with 123.4 points.
