Volvo China Open: Li Haotong looking to bounce back and end disappointing year on a high
- Chinese golfer is highest profile player in 108-strong field at Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen
- ‘Everyone knows I didn’t play well this year,’ Li says, ahead of Thursday’s first round
Former champion Li Haotong will be looking to end a disappointing year on a high when he tees up at the 27th Volvo China Open at Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen on Thursday.
A two-time winner on the DP World Tour – formerly the European Tour – 26-year-old Li is the highest-profile player in the 108-strong field for an event that, for the second consecutive year because of the coronavirus pandemic, is sanctioned solely by the China Tour.
But if he is to return to winning ways, China’s most popular player will have to do so without the backing of his supporters, with this year’s event being played behind closed doors.
“To be frank, everyone knows I didn’t play well this year, and of course there was the pandemic,” said Li, who just three years ago enjoyed the biggest victory of his career at the Dubai Desert Classic.
It was his second European Tour win and saw him become the first male Chinese golfer to break into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
