Haikou, China: Amateur sensation Zhou Shiyuan is in Hainan Island this week aiming for her third straight win against a pro field at the CLPG Tour Championship. But the teenager faces a formidable challenge with a couple of Epson Tour regulars returning home hungry for victory.
Zhou, a 14-year-old from Chongqing, comes into the RMB800,000 tournament at Mission Hills Haikou fresh off a runner-up finish at the HSBC China Junior Golf Open where 15-year-old Ren Yijia carded a final round 64 to win by two strokes in Shanghai for her fifth junior title of the year.
Earlier this month, Zhou, 74th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, captured the Kove China Sports Lottery Chongqing Women’s Open just weeks after winning the Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge in Jiangsu Province.
“I felt confident in Chongqing and wasn’t afraid of any poor shots. I could play every shot with a lucid mind and didn’t panic. Hopefully I can play the same game this week,” said Zhou following today’s practice round on The Vintage course, a par-72, 6,458-yard parkland-style layout.
“Here the fairways are wide and the greens are a good challenge. There is a bunker in the middle of ninth green. The rest of greens are slopey. I am not playing my best game for the time being, but it is still good enough.”
With Pang Runzhi and Ji Yuai currently sitting one-two atop the CLPGA Rankings, looking to significantly move up the money list with two events left in the season is Ye Lei, the defending Women’s China Open champion, and Sun Jiaze.
Both players are back in China after failing to pass through the second stage of the US LPGA Tour qualifying school. In their first full year on the Epson Tour, the LPGA Tour development circuit, Sun made 10 cuts in 17 events while 23-year-old Ye had five cuts in 10 events.
“I’ve had a decent and solid year as an Epson Tour rookie. The schedule is very tight. It’s my first time to have such a full schedule. I played a lot,” said Guangdong native Sun, winner of two CLPGA Tour events in 2022.
“The younger players are playing amazing golf in China. Hopefully I can have a solid round each day. I prefer putting all thoughts of victory away and play well every shot in front of me. I know this golf course better after a practice round. It’s all about the greens and pin positions. The other factor is the weather. We could play with windy and cold conditions.”
Ye, who has been battling through a virus the past couple of days, said: “This is a golf course where we can probably go pretty low, a lot of birdie opportunities.
“Off the tee, it’s pretty wide open for the most part and then a couple of bunkers on the dog-legs, but we can carry that, so not too difficult. I would say approach shots definitely have to be really careful. The greens have a lot of different sections and if you miss on the wrong side it might be hard to save par.”
Michelle Zhang Yunxuan, the defending champion who lost in a play-off to Zhou two weeks ago in Chongqing, is missing from the 102-player field. She is currently in the US attempting to qualify for the LPGA Tour through its Q-Series.
