Friday morning, Haotong Li burst to the top of the leaderboard and never relinquished the lead with a bogey-free, 65. But who is Li? Here are a few nuggets to know about the current leader of the 2020 PGA Championship.
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 114
Birthplace: Hunan, China
Age: 25
Career Low Round: 63
How Li got started in golf
Li’s golfing career began as a caddy for his father in China. His father owned a car dealership and when his son was old enough to beat him on the golf course, he left his job and began traveling the world with his son, along with his mother.
Turning pro
In 2016, Li joined the European Tour, where he is twice a winner. His most notable victory came at the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic where he carded four birdies over his last four holes to hold off Rory McIlroy to win by one stroke.
In 2019, Li became the first player from China to compete in the Presidents Cup. He also represented his country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Li has made just three starts on the PGA Tour in 2020 where his best finish was T24 at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
PGA Championship record
This week, Li makes just his fourth appearance at the PGA Championship. He recorded his best finish in the major championship in 2019 at Bethpage Black where he was T36 for the week. His round of 65 on Friday is his lowest round in the PGA Championship.
