PGA Tour: China’s Li Haotong finishes Sony Open full of confidence as he looks to get career back on track
- Chinese golfer finishes in tie for 12th in Hawaii after putting lets him down in final round
- Li looking to climb back up the rankings after a difficult two years saw him fall to 460th
China’s Li Haotong narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii, but came away full of confidence as he tries to get his career back on track.
The 26-year-old birdied the final hole at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu for a closing 1-under 69, good for a share of 12th at 15-under in the US$7.5 million PGA Tour event.
Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama won the tournament in a playoff against Russell Henley after both players tied on 23-under.
From inside the world’s top-50, Li’s world ranking has tumbled to his current 460th position after a difficult two years and he was pleased with his overall display, despite starting the final round just four shots off the lead.
In the end, Li paid the price from missing makeable birdies on 2, 3 and 6.
The two-time DP World Tour winner knocked in birdies on nine and 10 from inside of 10ft, but gave the shots back on 11 and 13 before finishing with a flourish by sticking his approach to a foot on the last.
“I missed many opportunities as my putting was not good,” Li said. “But overall it wasn’t bad. It is my first tournament in the new year, it is a positive start for me. I have hopes for the new season.”