Steady, Focused and Improving: Ex-AAC Winner Ding Wenyi

Shanghai, China: ‘Steady, focused and improving’. That’s how Ding Wenyi describes his progress, 18 months into his career as a professional golfer.

“Steady, because I hope to maintain my rhythm across different tournaments. Focused, because I want to concentrate on the present and handle each shot well. Improving, because I hope to keep moving toward higher goals. I think these three words can also represent who I am right now,” said the 21-year-old from China.

Now playing in his second year on the DP World Tour, it’s difficult not to be impressed with the confident young man from Beijing, who won just about everything there was to win as a junior, rising to number three in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). His final act before turning professional was to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) in Japan in late 2024.

By relinquishing his amateur status at that point, the China player gave up the chance to play in the Masters Tournament and Open Championship in 2025 – the rewards that go to the winner of the AAC.

The decision to forgo those opportunities was criticised in some quarters. But no one can doubt that Ding’s transition to professional golf has been near seamless.

After finishing 75th in the Race to Dubai Rankings (R2DR) last year during his rookie season on the DP World Tour, this season he blasted out of the gate with a runner-up finish at the Australia PGA Championship in November, his best result as a pro. He has since posted three other top-20 finishes and is 21st in the R2DR.

“Overall, I feel my rookie season was quite solid. Being able to successfully keep my card was a good result for me and shows that I withstood the challenges in many areas. After all, the European Tour’s competitive environment, variety of courses, and the pace of the year-long schedule are all big tests for a rookie,” said Ding, a three-time China Amateur winner.

He added: “If I had to give a score, I might give myself a 7 to 7.5 (out of 10). I accomplished the most important goal, and my overall performance was fairly stable, but I feel there is still room for improvement in terms of seizing opportunities and performing in key weeks. So, this score feels more like an interim summary to me, reminding myself to keep moving forward.”

Ding will undoubtedly want to ‘keep moving forward’ in his next challenge, the Volvo China Open from April 23-26 at Enhance Anting Golf Club, a tournament in which he has impressed since his 2020 debut at the national championship. In that year, he finished runner-up to Zhang Huilin as a 16-year-old when the event was played on the China Tour.

As the championship carried on during the pandemic, the teenager finished fifth in 2021 (as a China Tour event) and equal seventh in 2023 when it was part of the Asian Tour. Returning to the Volvo China Open as a rookie pro last year against a full complement of DP World Tour and China Tour pros, Ding tied for eighth to become the first Chinese to post top-10 finishes in his first four starts at the national championship.

“I’m very happy to be back competing in the Volvo China Open. For me, this is a tournament of great significance and representation, and it has always held a special place in Chinese golf. To be able to return to this stage, I feel very honoured and I’m looking forward to playing at my best,” he said.

“Last year’s tournament was truly a special experience for me. Before, whether playing as an amateur or returning later, it always felt a bit different. To be able to make the top 10 on such a high-level, highly competitive stage and shoot four rounds under par was very meaningful for me and gave me a lot of confidence.

“Looking back on that week, I felt my overall condition and rhythm were quite good, and I learned a lot from the competition. Shanghai also left a great impression on me, whether it was the tournament atmosphere, the support from the fans, or the feeling of the whole city, everything made me feel very comfortable and connected. That tournament was a special stop for me both in terms of results and memories.”

In realising the biggest pay-day of his rookie year at Enhance Anting, €53,145, Ding said the result was a confirmation to him that he could compete at a high level. He would finish the year making 22 cuts from 27 events.

“I definitely think it helped. A good result at the Volvo China Open wasn’t just a placement for me; it was a boost in confidence. It made me more certain that I can compete at a high level, and it also gave me a more stable mindset and clearer direction for the events that followed.”

Having played at the Robert Trent Jones II-designed Enhance Anting course many times, a 7,086-yard, par-71 layout with lightning-fast greens, several with sharp drop-offs to water, and a plethora of strategically placed bunkering, Ding said his preparations for the Volvo China Open would be ‘quite thorough’.

“Enhance Anting is a course that demands high technical skill, especially off the tee. Once you miss the fairway, the rough is very punishing. It’s often difficult to recover. I feel you need to be quite accurate starting from the tee box. Additionally, the approach shots are also very challenging. Many greens are surrounded by water hazards, leaving little room for error. Whether it’s club selection or shot placement, you need to think very clearly.”

As always when he’s on the course, Ding’s father, Feng, will be close by. While he no longer caddies for his son, as he did during his three China Amateur wins and his 2022 US Junior Boys victory, he’s still his son’s biggest supporter.

Ding said: “Now, he supports me from behind and accompanies me. For me, no matter how the specific division of roles changes, he has always been a very important part of the team and the person who knows and supports me the most. He has always supported me. When I hit a good shot, you can always hear him cheering and applauding for me.”