ZHANGJIAGANG Island, Jiangsu Province, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A year after becoming the youngest winner on the China LPGA Tour, China's Liu Wenbo is looking to close out her amateur career in memorable fashion with another victory and a medal at the upcoming Asian Games.
Speaking in Jiangsu province on Wednesday ahead of the start of the Sun Car Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Classic, the defending champion said the past year had been a whirlwind since she won the tournament at the age of 16 years, two months and 11 days.
The Beijing teenager defeated Thailand's Kanyalak Preedasuttijit in the first hole of a play-off to win the Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge. She became the fourth amateur to win on the CLPGA Tour.
Prize money for the rebranded tournament has been increased to RMB800,000, up from RMB500,000 last year.
"That championship was an affirmation of my ability. My goal last year was winning one time and my dream came true so quick," said the 17-year-old Liu. "After winning that first pro event I started to feel more pressure and was a little bit influenced by the chatter around me."
Liu, a national team player who is currently ranked 30th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, said she put renewed focus on her play at the end of last year when she changed her clubs and went to the US with the Guangdong team. It was there that she trained for a month under Gary Gilchrist, the long-time swing coach of world No. 1 Feng Shanshan, to be prepared to defend her title this week at Shuangshan Golf Club.
"This season my goal is to win one more time. Playing on the CLPGA Tour provides me with the opportunity to get more experience and become more steady," said Liu who is confirmed for the China team for this summer's Asian Games in Indonesia. After the Asiad she confirmed she planned to turn pro.
Liu heads a group of 13 amateurs in the 120-player field this week, providing a good cross-section of the top young talent coming up in China.
Wang Jiayi, a 14-year-old from Shanghai, won seven junior tournaments in 2017. She also won two AJGA qualifying events and was runner-up in two events on the top American junior circuit. Last week, Wang won the 2018 HSBC Junior Golf Championship in Zhengzhou.
Even younger is 12-year-old An Tong. After winning nine junior events last year, the Tianjin native has started 2018 on a tear. Her five victories this year include a win in Zhengzhou last week, the third consecutive time she has won her age group.
Sun Jiaze is another to watch. Last year she tied for ninth at the Bridge CC Beijing Heritage, while in February she claimed a title at the HSBC Junior Golf Open.
John Ye of Sun Car said his company became involved in sponsorship of the third-year tournament in effort to promote golf in the country and to provide more playing opportunities for Chinese women to "go to the world stage".
His daughter, 16-year-old Angelina Ye, is among those who will undoubtedly be in the spotlight as the Florida-based teenager has won two AJGA events, including the Annika Invitational USA in January.
