Haotong Li’s had a wacky — and impressive — Masters week

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It has been fairly a week for Haotong Li. The 30-year-old Chinese professional who lives in Shanghai obtained to satisfy Kevin Hart through the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, calling it “the best day of my life so far.” But Thursday might need been one of many worst.

The wrongdoer, he mentioned: the lobster roll and poke bowl he ate for lunch.

“Went to the toilet last night a lot of times,” he mentioned Friday. “This morning when I got to the golf course [I was] still feeling really bad and kind of, like, [living] in the toilet.”

Li mentioned he was going to attempt to play and withdraw if mandatory. The outlook was bleak. “No energy,” he mentioned. “Fuzzy, want to throw up.”

Michael Jordan had his “Flu Game” in 1997. Haotong Li had the second spherical of the 2026 Masters. After capturing a four-under 32 on the second 9, he discovered himself within the high 10. Now, after one other 3-under 69 on Saturday, he is not out of this factor. Li heads into Sunday 4 pictures off the lead, tied for seventh and paired with two-time champion Scottie Scheffler.

“Still battling,” Li mentioned Saturday. Not the weather or the course. His abdomen.

Without the digestive difficulties, Li’s story of resilience would nonetheless be exceptional. He had a breakout efficiency at The Open in 2017, when he got here out of nowhere to shoot a blistering 63 on Sunday and completed third behind Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar. But it hasn’t been clean crusing since then. Li hadn’t performed at Augusta National since 2019, when he performed the primary two rounds with Tiger Woods. And he had to earn his PGA Tour card by ending within the high 10 on the DP World Tour final 12 months. He did not have a lot momentum as he made his return to Augusta; he had missed his earlier 4 cuts getting into this week.

But Li performs nicely on the largest phases — on the PGA Championship in 2020, he led after 36 holes — and his outsized character has added enjoyable to one of the vital buttoned-up environments in sports activities.

In February, Li advised the “Smylie Show” that he realized English from watching Kevin Hart. He mentioned he hoped to in the future meet him, with none thought he would run into him Wednesday on the Par 3 Contest. Naturally, Li did not maintain again on the occasion.

“You’re my hero!” he yelled, then exclaimed, “Let’s f—ing go!” on reside tv. He took photographs and movies and cheered on his famously supportive mother — at a skilled match, sI’m eleven rolled up her shorts and waded into a pond to get a putter he had angrily tossed in there — as she hit pictures within the Par 3 Contest.

Li might need questionable style in regional eating alternatives, however he has by no means lacked enthusiasm. Or candor, apparently. The mixture makes him one of the vital quotable gamers in golf, and a favourite of different gamers on Tour for leisure throughout a spherical.

“He didn’t shut up for 18 holes,” Cameron Smith mentioned about a follow spherical the 2 shared in 2019 on the Presidents Cup. “He was quite impressive. I’ve never heard that many words come out of one mouth in four hours.”

Li’s Sunday pairing will reunite him with Scheffler, his enjoying accomplice within the last spherical of final July’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush, the place Scheffler gained and Li completed fourth. Reporters seen Li and Scheffler each laughing throughout their spherical, asking Li what it was all about.

“I just said, ‘Is there any time I can practice with you when I go to the PGA Tour,’ and he said yes,” Li mentioned, in response to Golf.com. “But I said, when I text you, you better reply to me.”

Scheffler replied, “Haotong who?” Li recalled, laughing and calling Scheffler “just a lovely guy to play with.”

Li practically retired from golf in 2021 after lacking 13 of 16 cuts on the DP World Tour. After profitable a match in Dubai over none apart from Masters co-leader Rory McIlroy In 2018, he went over 4 years with out carding a win. In one match in 2021, I shot an 84 in a spherical that included an eagle and a 12.

“His good is very good, and his bad is very bad,” his caddy, Jady de Beer, advised Golf.com throughout The Open final 12 months. But at The Open, and once more right here, the superb appears to beat the whole lot else.

“I just [feel] super calm every time [I] play in majors,” he mentioned Thursday.

During Saturday’s spherical, a number of followers from China adopted his each transfer. Zheng Gang Shen of Hainan, China, mentioned he has gone to observe Li a few occasions of their native nation. He mentioned different Chinese golfers look as much as him, and that he is raised the standard of different execs there as an inspiration, and he is happy with how well-liked Li’s turn out to be.

“He’s getting better and better and better,” Shen mentioned. “It’s a big comeback. He has a very good personality. All the American golfers love him, just like us.”

Li mentioned after Friday’s and Saturday’s rounds that he was shocked by how nicely he performed. He appears to handle to lift his sport on the Masters. He’s made the reduce in all 4 of his appearances right here. In his final spherical right here in 2019, he fired a 68 and completed robust with six birdies on the second 9.

He mentioned Friday that regardless of her illness, Augusta gave the impression to be the remedy.

“Definitely,” he mentioned. “Major makes me feel good.”

Li has had a star flip this week and shall be close to the highest of the leaderboard initially of Sunday’s last spherical of the Masters with an out of doors likelihood to drag off a stunning win. But he mentioned Saturday that aggressive golf hasn’t been the very best a part of his week.

“I feel an important is I so enjoy Wednesday with my mom“he mentioned. “Obviously, met Kevin Hart in person. [Wednesday was more important] than a golf tournament.”