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IMG signs up Li Haotong as leading Chinese player looks for more success worldwide

Andrew Griffin — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 14:35:43 +0000

Li Haotong (left) with Phil Mickelson at the 2019 World Golf Championship HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

CHINA’S leading golfer Li Haotong has signed a worldwide management representaion deal with IMG covering all commercial activity.

Haotong has enjoyed a record-breaking career since turning professional in 2011 at the age of sixteen.

The 24-year-old won the inaugural PGA Tour Series-China Order of Merit in 2014 after three wins in the season.

And – having captured his second European Tour title at the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic – he became the first Chinese player to break into the top 50 on the Official World Golf Rankings.

Haotong represented China in the 2016 Olympics, and in December he became the first player from mainland China to feature in the 2019 Presidents Cup International team, under captain Ernie Els.

Haotong, who has been a stablemate of Justin Rose and Tiger Woods at Excel Sports Management, said: “I am very happy to announce I am joining the team at IMG.

“Both in China and, as I’ve played around the world, I have been impressed by everything IMG does in golf.

“From the CGA-HSBC Junior Program I played in as a kid – to the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, to the tournaments I’m playing in the Middle East this month – their strength in China, as well as their truly global reach, is what makes them stand out in the industry.

“I am also excited to see how I can benefit from their incredible network across sports, entertainment and content, and utilise their unique expertise to take advantage of new opportunities reaching out beyond golf too.”

IMG head of golf clients Jay Danzi said: “Li Haotong, along with the likes of Feng Shanshan and Liang Wenchong, is helping to inspire whole new generation of young Chinese golfers with his achievements.

“We are proud to announce him as an IMG client and look forward to working with him to help him continue to break records on course while growing his brand off course – using our extensive reach across entertainment and sports to deliver for him, both in China and internationally.”

Li played 19 European Tour events in his first five seasons as a pro playing in events co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour.

Having qualified as the first Chinese pro to play on the Web.com Tour in 2015 – after his Order of Merit win on the PGA Tour China – Li earned his European Tour card by winning the 2016 Volvo China Open.

Li finished 23rd on the Race to Dubai that season and recorded his best result so far in a Major with a third place behind Jordan Spieth in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

His final round 63 broke the record for the best round in a Major by a Chinese player and earned him an invite to the 2018 Masters at Augusta.

He lost a play-off with Justin Rose at the 2018 Turkish Airlines Open having claimed the biggest victory of his career in Dubai, at the start of that year.

Li will tee it up in the 15th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship next week in his first European Tour start of the 2020 season – and the first Rolex Series event of the new year.

IMG has managed giants of the game of golf

Tiger Woods amassed the biggest fortune in golf during his 15 years as a client of IMG. Picture by David Mark from Pixabay

IMG – founded by lawyer Mark McCormack in the 1960s – revolutionised sports management in golf and tennis in particular.

It represented Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, the game’s biggest stars worldwide commercially but their incomes were eventually dwarfed by the game’s biggest star managed by IMG.

Tiger Woods signed for IMG when he turned pro in 1996 and handled his huge sponsorship deals with Nike until the former World No. 1 and his personal manager Mark Steinberg both left the company, and joined Excel Sports Management.

Woods was reported to receive $20million a year from Nike alone, and at his peak earned more than $100million a year from off-course endorsements.

Tiger was a worth a reported $500million when he left IMG nine years ago when he had won 14 Majors, and signed a $200million deal with Nike in 2013.

After his victory at last year’s Masters – following his Tour Championship win in 2018 that scooped $4.6million, his biggest prize money in five years – his career earnings have exceeded $1.4billion.

The biggest prize money winner in the game’s history has amassed more than $122million during his 82 PGA Tour victories.

His win at Japan’s Zozo Championship in October equalled Sam Snead’s record. Phil Mickelson’s 44 wins is the highest by a current player after Tiger.

His latest victory put Woods’ overall fortune at some three times of Jack Nicklaus – whose Major record Tiger would still love to break.

Nicklaus’ great rival Palmer made more money off the course and having been the first player to earn $1million in prize money, was worth an estimated $875million at the time of his death in 2016.

That was slightly more than Tiger – after Woods’ messy divorce after the break up of his marriage in 2009 when he was attacked by his his wife Elin Nordgren after she confronted him about accusations about his cheating with a number of women.

Whatever the extact figures, they are riches Haotong Li can still only dream about. But signing for IMG should obviously help China’s leading player follow in Tiger’s footsteps.

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Chinese hero Bai Zheng-kai waves Good Bai to Challenge Tour season with Foshan win

Andrew Griffin — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 22:00:23 +0000

Bai Zheng-kai became the first Chinese player to win on the European Challenge Tour by four shots at the Foshan Open thanks to an excellent final round of 65.
Picture by RICHARD CASTKA / SPORTPIXGOLF.COM

HISTORY was made at the Foshan Open as Bai Zheng-kai became the first Chinese player to win on the European Challenge Tour shooting six-under on the back nine to secure victory at Foshan Golf Club.

Bai signed for a seven-under par 65 to post 23-under for the tournament – four strokes clear of Dou Zecheng, who finished second on 19 under.

Scotland’s Calum Hill – who needed victory to earn automatic promotion to the European Tour – finished with five successive birdies to get to 18-under and return to the top of the Road to Mallorca rankings thanks to his third-place finish.

However, the day belonged to 22-year-old Bai, who showed maturity beyond his years as he put the Foshan course to the sword over the final nine holes, and made Challenge Tour history in the process.

“It feels amazing,” Bai said. “Becoming the first Chinese player to win the Foshan Open is unbelievable. I’ve had a great week and I’m very happy.

“All the Europeans are good players and it just feels amazing to win this tournament. I’m honoured to become the first Chinese player to win on the Challenge Tour.”

Bai, also known as Bobby, set a new course record in the second round when he posted a bogey-free 63. And the PGA Tour China player drew on that experience as he came down the stretch with victory in his sights.

“I looked at the leaderboard around the turn and felt like I needed a few more birdies,” said Zheng-kai.

“My ball-striking was good, my putting kept me going along the last couple of holes and I made a lot of birdies.

“I also played pretty well when I shot 63 on Friday. I made a lot of putts and my ball-striking was really good. Everything fell into place that day.”

One shot behind Hill in a tie for fourth place was Hampshire’s Richard Bland and Germany’s Alexander Knappe on 17-under, while Poland’s Adrian Meronk, Denmark’s Benjamin Poke and Wiltshire’s Ben Stow shared sixth place on 16-under.

Royal Liverpool’s Matthew Jordan, Christofer Blomstrand, and overnight leader Ricardo Santos, who posted a one over-par 73 on Sunday, complete the top 10 in a share for ninth place a further shot back.

Final scores in Foshan Open

As Bai is not a member of the European Challenge Tour, he will not receive the Road to Mallorca Rankings points allocated for the winner of the Foshan Open.

As a result Bai is ineligible to play in the Challenge Tour Grand Final next month. But he does earn a start in the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai this week.

Nervious finish in Race to Mallorca

ONE man who will play at Club de Golf Alcanada next month is Hill, who finished solo third to replace Hainan Open Champion Francesco Laporta at the top of the Road to Mallorca rankings.

Bland’s tie for fourth spot moves him to third place in the rankings and will mean there is one Challenge Tour Grand Final winner in the field at

Knappe, who played on an invite this week, climbed 43 places to 46th position on the Road to Mallorca.

But the German missed out on a spot in the Challenge Tour Grand Final, by just 882 points – the only consolation was Knappe, a two-time Challenge Tour winner, did secure full playing privileges for next year.

Somerset’s Laurie Canter made it through in 44th spot, one of nine Englishmen, including Bland (3rd), Lancastrians Jack Senior (7th) and Matthew Baldwin (38th), Jordan (10th) Stowe (17th), Kent’s Steve Tiley (30th), Essex’s Dale Whitnell (34th) and Surrey’s Ross McGowan (40th) to make it through to the season’s finale.

Those that missed out were Essex’s Todd Clements (50th) and Staffordshire’s Richard Mansell (64th), who played limited schedules having graduated from the EuroPro Tour via sponsors’ invites.

Kent’s Matt Ford (61st) and 2013 Amateur Champion Garrick Porteous (56th) will now head to the European Tour Qualifying School along with Lincolnshire’s David Coupland, Walton Heath’s former Welsh international David Boote and Scotland’s Bradley Neil, who won the Amateur Championship, at Royal Portrush, in 2014

There is now a week’s break on the Challenge Tour schedule as the top 45 players prepare for the final event of the season in Mallorca, where the leading 15 players will earn full European Tour cards for next season.

Scotland’s Conor Syme currently in 12th place will need a good week to lock up his European Tour card while his Walker Cup team-mate Jordan – a winner of the Italian Challenge Open – will also be looking nervously over his shoulder.

Meanwhile the other four Englishmen in the field know a victory in Mallorca will guarantee them the ultimate prize of a place on the European Tour in 2020.

Last year Portugal’s Pedro Figueiredo claimed the 15th card with 94,339 points. Wales Oliver Farr currently occupies that spot with 77,027 points so will most likely need a top 20 finish to guarantee his third promotion from the Challenge Tour since 2014.

•See the current Road to Mallorca standings by clicking here.

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