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E-mail Xinhua, November 23, 2024
The 19th Volvo China Junior Match Play Championship came to conclusion on Friday as Li Zhengda captured the boy's group competition, while Xing Feiyu was crowned the girl's champion.
Playing over The Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula East Course in Wanning, Hainan province, the 11th seeded Li put away the fourth seeded Gu Liangliang 3&1. The girl's competition proved a tighter battle as 13-year-old Xing battled back from being a hole down to win the penultimate hole and beat Liu Yingyuan 1 up.
In the consolation matches, Wang Zihao defeated Shi Haoxuan 2&1 in the boy's competition to finish third. His sister, Wang Ziming, won the girl's consolation when the fifth seeded Chen Zhuo withdrew before their match with injury.
The 14-year-old Li, who earlier this week beat his older brother, Li Zhengqian, 3&2, in the quarter-final, started his match on a strong note when he made a birdie three on the opening hole to go 1 up. The 15-year-old Gu would then square the match twice over the first five holes before carding a birdie at the par-four eighth to go 1 up.
With the match again all square through 10 holes, Li went ahead for good when he made a par at the 13th hole as Gu three-putted from 30 feet for a bogey five. At the par-five 16th, Li drove the green in two and sank a 12-footer for eagle despite Gu earlier conceding the hole to go 2 up. At the 17th, Li chipped to 18 feet and made two putts for a par and his first win since last November.
"I'm 80 percent happy for myself and 20 percent unhappy for Gu, one of my best friends. I played stress-free but he looked a little bit stressed during the play," said Li who receives a sponsor's exemption into next year's Volvo China Open.
"I had four runners-up going into this week. Now I am very excited to be the winner. Both my brother and I are looking forward to the 30th Volvo China Open. It's great for me to be able to compare my game against European Tour players and see what areas I need to improve on. My goal is the PGA Tour."
Nantong native Gu, a winner of four events on the junior circuit over the past two years, was quiet in defeat. "I am not good at the match play. But I did better than in the past," said the teenager.
In the girl's final, Xing won her third title of the year in a match that was undecided until the last hole. After 16-year-old Liu made par to go 1 up at the opening hole, Xing won the next to quickly square the match. It would stay that way through 13 holes until Liu made par at the 14th hole to go 1 up.
After Xing made an eagle three from 12 feet at the 16th to draw even, she then produced a birdie three at the next to go 1 up and never looked back. The Kunming native closed with another birdie at the last to match Liu and preserve the win.
Xing, who receives a spot in the Volvo China Open pro-am for her win, called her round decent but not great.
"The closing three holes were very satisfying, especially the 16th hole where I decided to go for it and was rewarded with an eagle," said Xing, 751st in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
"Going into the event, I didn't like match play. I thought that my game was better suited for stroke play. Now I am changing my mind after the five rounds of tough battles. I learned a lot."
