Dou Zecheng makes history as he becomes the first Chinese player to earn a full PGA Tour card
The 20-year-old wins the Digital Ally Open on the Web.com Tour to earn his spurs
Dou Zecheng had a career-changing 36-hole run on Sunday in the rain-delayed Digital Ally Open to become the first Chinese player to earn a PGA Tour card and win a Web.com Tour event.
The 20-year-old Dou was 15-under in the final two rounds in the rain-delayed tournament at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate in Kansas, shooting a 10-under 61 in the morning and adding a 66 in the afternoon for a three-stroke victory.
“It’s a big honour to represent China and come play in the United States,” said Dou, known as Marty. “Playing and learning from the best, competing and earning my tour card, it feels amazing right now. ..
“I was talking to my team and I didn’t know if I needed to keep practicing or get more experience on the Web.com Tour instead of trying to get to the PGA Tour so fast. I never thought I could win this year.”
Dou earned US$117,000 to jump from 53rd to 15th on the money list with US$185,594, more than enough to wrap up a PGA Tour card with only four events left in the race for 25 spots.
“It’s going to be pretty big,” said Dou, who travels with fellow Chinese player Zhang Xinjun. “We’ve been talking to the Chinese media this year about a Chinese player potentially getting to the PGA Tour. ‘How soon will they get their card?’ and I just did it here. It just happened. ...