Published July 17, 2008 on February 28, 2018

China’s Li Ready to Tackle World’s Best at WGC-Mexico Championship

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Now that he has beaten Rory McIlroy in a head-to-head duel, Haotong Li believes he can beat anyone in the world.

The Chinese rising star gets another crack in his chase for the American dream when he tees up in his maiden World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship alongside Major champions Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson in the opening round on Thursday.

The 22-year-old Li has risen to No. 37 in the Official World Golf Ranking, thanks to an impressive victory over former world No. 1 McIlroy at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic last month.

With this week’s US$10 million showpiece at Club de Golf Chapultepec featuring 45 of the world’s top-50 golfers including defending champion and current world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Li is keen to leave another big impression, with his eyes ultimately set on the PGA TOUR.

“So very exciting because it’s such a big event and hopefully I can play well this week,” said Li on Tuesday. “Just play my game and enjoy the competition and stay patient. I think this is the key, especially this week, it’s narrow fairways and you need to play smart.

“Dubai gave me a lot of experience, gave me a lot of confidence. It will help me a lot at the big events now. Actually, I didn’t think I could win because Rory is a superstar. I was really, really calm for some reason and felt like nothing to lose. If you can beat him, you can beat everyone.”

Despite not having a cap sponsor at the current time, Li’s stock has risen immensely since launching his career on the PGA TOUR Series-China where he won three times to lift the Order of Merit in 2014.

He garnered more attention with a tied seventh finish at the 2015 WGC-HSBC Champions on home soil before going on to lift his national Open in 2016 for his first European Tour victory. Last year, Li made the world sit up and take notice with his third-place finish at The Open Championship following a stunning final round 63 at Royal Birkdale.

As he now has exemptions into all of this season’s majors, World Golf Championships and potentially THE PLAYERS Championship in May as well, Li is keen to utilize his opportunities to earn his PGA TOUR card through the non-members exempt category.

“I don’t really know when (I will get onto the PGA TOUR) but because I get into four majors and WGC events I think I have big chance to get my card,” he said.

A fortnight ago, Li savoured a memorable week at the Genesis Open on the PGA TOUR where he finished tied 53^rd, sank a career first hole-in-one and met idol and tournament host, Tiger Woods and Irish singer-songwriter Niall Horan during the week. Li subsequently posted Instagram images with both superstars with the hashtag, AmericanDream, and another good week at the WGC-Mexico Championship will surely push him closer towards his dream.