The Chinese golfer nobody’s talking about sits four shots back from history—and he’s exactly where he wants to be

While the golf world obsesses over Scottie Scheffler’s dominance, a 29-year-old from China is quietly writing one of the most compelling comeback stories in recent major championship history. Four shots back with 18 holes to play, Haotong Li isn’t just chasing his first major—he’s carrying the dreams of 1.4 billion people on his shoulders.

The Invisible Contender

You’d be forgiven if you haven’t heard much about Haotong Li this week at Royal Portrush. Despite sitting in solo second place at 10-under par, he’s been the tournament’s best-kept secret. While cameras follow every move of Scheffler and McIlroy, Li has been methodically dismantling one of golf’s most demanding tests with the kind of precision that would make a Swiss watchmaker jealous.

Li will tee off in Sunday’s final group alongside world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, a pairing that would have seemed impossible just months ago when the Chinese golfer was languishing outside the world’s top 300. Now ranked 111th, this is more than just a golf tournament for Li—it’s his shot at immortality.

The Comeback Kid with Character

Here’s what makes Li’s story so captivating: this isn’t his first rodeo with major championship pressure. Back in 2017, playing in just his second major, he fired a stunning final-round 63 at Royal Birkdale to finish third at The Open Championship. That performance announced him as China’s brightest golf hope, but what followed was a career rollercoaster that would test anyone’s resolve.

Li’s personality is as colorful as his golf game. This is a guy who once had “HAOTONG IS THE MOST HANDSOME MAN IN CHINA” stamped in red capital letters on his 60-degree wedge. He’s the golfer who threw a club into the water at the 2017 French Open out of frustration, only to watch his mother wade into the muddy pond to retrieve it—before throwing it back when she realized it was broken.

As his South African caddie Jady de Beer puts it: “The fans won’t see it, but inside, his good is very good, and his bad is very bad. He plays with a lot of heart.”

The Road Back from the Wilderness

Li’s journey to this moment hasn’t been linear. After his breakthrough 2017 season, he struggled to maintain consistency, falling outside the world’s top 300 rankings. He hasn’t played in a major championship since 2022—making this week’s performance even more remarkable.

But February’s victory at the Qatar Masters, where he holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole and wept in his caddie’s arms, signaled that the fire still burned inside. That win wasn’t just about trophy collecting—it was about proving to himself that he belonged among golf’s elite.

The numbers tell the story of his early promise: Li held the 36-hole lead at the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, becoming the first Chinese player to lead a major after any round. While he eventually finished T17th, the experience of being in the arena with golf’s biggest names was invaluable.

Why Royal Portrush Suits His Game

What’s fascinating about Li’s resurgence is where it’s happening. As one observer noted, “If you watched Haotong Li play the first two rounds of the Masters in 2019, with Jon Rahm and Tiger Woods, you actually might have thought he could someday win the Masters… What you would not have guessed was that Li would someday contend on a short, quirky, bouncy British Open course.”

Yet here he is, having shot matching 67s in the first two rounds and staying steady when others faltered. Li finished Saturday’s third round at 10-under after a closing bogey, but his big grin walking off the 18th green told the story—he’s loving every minute of this pressure-cooker situation.

The Historic Opportunity

If Li were to win on Sunday, he’d become the first man from China to capture a major championship. Consider that for a moment: China has 1.4 billion people and over 600 golf courses, yet no Chinese man has ever won a major. Two Chinese women have broken through—Shanshan Feng won the 2012 LPGA Championship, and Ruoning Yin captured the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship.

The coronation Li would receive back home if he left Royal Portrush as the Champion Golfer of the Year would be unlike anything golf has ever seen. We’re talking about a country where golf is rapidly growing, desperately searching for its first male major champion to inspire the next generation.

The Sunday Reality Check

Let’s be honest about Li’s chances: He’s facing a four-shot deficit against the world’s best player, with Scheffler sitting at -750 odds to win while Li is at 28-1. That’s not exactly a coin flip.

But here’s what the oddsmakers might be missing: Li has been here before. He represented the International team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, playing alongside and against the world’s best. He’s already proven he can play world-class golf at major championships, becoming the first Chinese man to reach the top 50 in the world rankings back in 2018.

The X-Factor

What might give Li the edge is something intangible: he’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain. As one writer observed, “Watching Li, you do not get the sense of the inferno working overtime deep inside him.” That calm exterior might be exactly what’s needed to chase down Scheffler on one of golf’s biggest stages.

The pressure is entirely on Scheffler’s shoulders. Li can play freely, knowing that even a second-place finish would be the performance of his career and potentially set him up for years of major championship opportunities.

Sunday at Royal Portrush isn’t just about golf—it’s about dreams deferred, second chances, and the possibility of history being made by a golfer who refuses to let setbacks define his story. Win or lose, Haotong Li has already won something more valuable than a trophy: he’s won back belief in himself.

And in golf, sometimes that’s all you need to move mountains.