China’s Li Haotong tees up at the Corales Puntacana Championship on the PGA Tour this week with every hope that the adage of good things coming in threes holds true. Following recent victories by countrymen Ashun Wu and Carl Yuan Yechun on the DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour respectively, the former world top-50 golfer is counting on it being his turn to enjoy some good fortune at the Corales Golf Club in the Dominican Republic. Li, who narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish at the Sony Open in January, is playing at this week’s US$3.7 million event on a sponsor’s exemption and said he appreciated having the opportunity to “gain more points and pursue my golf dream”. “The wins by Ashun and Carl gave me a lot of motivation,” Li said. “I am glad to see them win and their efforts were well rewarded. Their wins have a lot of impact on China golf.” The 26-year-old, who was a member of the International Team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, is looking to bounce back from a dip in form. He showed glimpses of his best golf with a tied 12th finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and followed that with a third-place finish at the Ras el Khaimah Championship on the DP World Tour last month. With the Corales Puntacana Championship being the opposite event to the 64-man World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas, the Chinese golfer is keen to make the most of his opportunity and post a strong week in the Caribbean. “I felt great when I played well in those events [Sony Open and Ras el Khaimah Championship] and it gave me confidence. I want to bring good form to this week,” Li said. “I think I need some adjustments on my swing to restore my confidence. I think I still need to make progress, I need to take it step by step to get back to the top.” A two-time winner on the DP World Tour, Li has beaten the likes of Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka in head-to-head duels. He defeated McIlroy in the Dubai Desert Classic in 2018 and Koepka in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2019 to progress into the fourth round. He also shot a final round 63 to finish third in the 2017 Open Championship and held the 36-hole lead at the 2020 PGA Championship before finishing tied 17th. Li was ranked as high as 32nd in the world before enduring a difficult run of form. Wu won the Magical Kenyan Open earlier this month for his career fourth DP World Tour title, while Yuan claimed his maiden Korn Ferry Tour victory at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open last weekend to get within reach of a PGA Tour card for next season.