Haotong Li reveals what Scottie Scheffler said which left him laughing on his way to winning The Open Championship

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Haotong Li was the player with the best seat in the house on Sunday at The Open Championship as he played alongside Scottie Scheffler for the final round at Royal Portrush.

Haotong Li went into the final day of The Open Championship better placed than anyone to try and take down Scottie Scheffler and prevent the world number one from winning his fourth major title.

Ultimately, Scheffler seemed to slam the door shut with his approach to the first hole, which left the 29-year-old with a tap-in for birdie.

Scheffler seemed so comfortable that even a double bogey towards the end of his front nine would not have tempted anyone to believe that a dramatic finish could be on the cards.

Haotong Li strikes up friendship with Scottie Scheffler at The Open Championship

Nevertheless, Li can be extremely pleased with his performance. The Chinese star had not made a start in a major since 2022 before this week, while he last made the cut at the PGA Championship in 2020.

But he was able to finish in a tie for fourth in Northern Ireland. And it seems that he may have struck up a bit of a friendship with Scheffler, as he spoke about the experience of playing alongside the best player on the planet right now.

“It was actually super calm and he’s such a lovely guy to play with. We did a joke about each other a little bit and just so nice to play with him,” he said.

“I just said, is there any time I can practice with you when I go to the PGA Tour, and he said yes. But I said, when I text you, you better reply to me, and he goes, “Haotong Who?” That was actually funny. Just a lovely guy to play with.”

Haotong Li looks destined for the PGA Tour after superb season

It does appear that Scheffler should probably expect a message from Li in the coming months. The 29-year-old is now third in the Race to Dubai standings on the DP World Tour.

Of course, the top 10 players not already exempt receive PGA Tour cards at the end of each season. And Li is currently leading the charge of those currently without cards. He only has Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton ahead of him in the standings right now.

It has been a real return to form for Li, who won in Qatar in February. He will be hoping that his second top five finish at The Open Championship leads to bigger and better things.