China’s Li Haotong has spent the past 12 months entirely comfortable in the knowledge that he is the Volvo China Open champion and will return next week to Topwin Golf and Country Club in Beijing in an attempt to become the first player to successfully defend the much-coveted title.
Li became the fourth mainland Chinese player to win his national Open and followed Cheng Jun’s historic 1997 victory in Beijing, the Shanghai win of Zhang Lianwei in 2003, and Wu Ashun’s breakthrough victory at Tomson Golf Club in Shanghai in 2015.
“As a young golf pro I was so glad to win the Volvo China Open,” Li said. “The victory meant a lot because it was a huge personal breakthrough for me.
“This year is Volvo’s 90th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of Volvo in Golf, so I'm honored to be a part of this history. Volvo's junior match play event, the qualifiers and of course the Volvo China Open have all been part of my maturity as a professional.
“I have to thank Volvo for their 23 years of support of golf in China, and I look forward to their continued support. I hope more young golfers will play in Volvo's junior events and be inspired to play in the Volvo China Open.”
In 2016, Li made history by becoming the youngest winner of this prestigious event – his national Open, playing inspired golf to record a superb 64 in the final round to win by three shots.
Later in the year, Li collected his biggest pay cheque to date when he finished second to Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen in the Turkish Airlines Open. At the end of the same month, Li and Wu teamed up to represent China in the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne, and finished in joint second place behind Olesen and Søren Kjeldsen.
The inaugural Volvo China Open teed off in April 1995 and just four months later Li was born. The Volvo China Junior Championship was introduced in 2005 in the same year that Li, then 10, was introduced to golf by his father.
In 2010, and now aged 15, Li won the Volvo China Junior Championship in the Boy’s Group A division and automatically qualified for a place in the 2011 Volvo China Open. Li was the youngest player in the field in 2011 at age 15, and shot a two over par in the opening rounds at Luxehills Golf Club in Chengdu to miss the cut.
In 2012, at age 16, Li turned professional with his first event the Volvo China Open at Binhai Lake Golf Club in Tianjin, and in 2013 Li ensured participation for the third time by finishing third in the Qualifying event at Lion Lake Country Club in Guangdong province. Once again at Binhai Lake Golf Club, Li would again go on to miss the cut in the Open.
The Volvo China Open moved to Genzon Golf Club in 2014 where Li made the cut for the very first time. After three rounds he was tied eighth but a final round of 78 saw him drop back into a tie for 50th.
The 2015 Volvo China Open was held at Tomson Golf Club in Shanghai and after two rounds Li was in fourth place just three shots behind the leader. After the third round, Li shared the lead with compatriot Wu, David Howell and Alexander Levy, the defending champion.
A disappointing final round 74 saw him slip back to finish in sixth place, by far his best performance in the event to date until he was crowned champion in 2016.
