SPORT / MISCELLANY
China’s Li wins Munich title in dramatic way
Emotional victory
Published: Jun 27, 2022 04:57 PM
Li Haotong plays a shot during the final round of the BMW International Open on June 26, 2022 in Munich, Germany. Photo: Courtesy of China Golf Association

Li Haotong plays a shot during the final round of the BMW International Open on June 26, 2022 in Munich, Germany. Photo: Courtesy of China Golf Association

Ten months after almost quitting golf, China's golfer Li Haotong sank a massive birdie putt to complete a playoff victory at the BMW International Open on Sunday and clinch his first win in over four years.

The 26-year-old's victory in Munich, Germany earned him his third European Tour title and first since he edged out Rory McIlroy by a stroke at the Dubai Desert Classic in January 2018.

"No one knows how much I've gone through over the last couple of years," an emotional Li said in tears. "Ten months ago I nearly decided to not play golf. I thought I couldn't play golf again.

"If someone told me 10 months ago I would win again, I wouldn't believe that. Through a lot of tough times, I realized how good that feeling is to play good again."

Li extended his overnight three-shot lead over Belgium's Thomas Pieters to five with three birdies in the first five holes on Sunday, but a run of four bogeys over the next 10 holes allowed Pieters to draw level.

Li almost found the water on the first playoff hole but sank a monster birdie putt before Pieters rolled his effort just wide.

"Thomas played great all day. My putter wasn't as hot as yesterday. Golf, this is golf," Li said. "Sometimes things go your way, sometimes not. I'm just so happy to finish on 18 like that.

"Somehow I thought that I would make that putt. I don't know how I made that stroke, how the ball went in the hole, because at the end of the day the greens were very bumpy. You just never know."

Li Haotong  Photo: Courtesy of China Golf Association

Li Haotong Photo: Courtesy of China Golf Association

The victory brought Li 340,000 euro ($360,000) prize money and sealed his spots in the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour) for another next two years until 2025.

He is set to rise 38 places to 17th in the DP World Tour Rankings. And he will also be the highest-ranked player from the Chinese mainland in the world rankings. 

And the Munich title also punched his ticket for July's British Open at St Andrews in Scotland, making Li the first golf player from the Chinese mainland to play in one of the four major golf events this year.   

"If you told [me] three years ago that I could play in the British Open, I would say, 'Well, this is normal.' Because I can play the major events every year," said Li, who is going to play his fifth British Open.

"Now I have won a chance for myself to play in the major again, it's a pleasant surprise.

"It's like playing all the way from qualification to a major event; I didn't know this feeling before, but now I finally feel the beauty of it," Li said.