He is the player who almost broke the course record and finished third on his Open debut at Royal Birkdale in 2017

Add as preferred source on Google

As The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale for the first time in nine years, memories of the 2017 championship come flooding back.

It’s a major that is associated with one man, Jordan Spieth, who claimed his third major championship at the age of 23 to move just a PGA Championship away from the career grand slam. 

It was a performance for the ages, filled with memorable moments. Spieth well and truly stole the show. And that took the shine away from a player who made his Open Championship debut that week, and finished solo third.

So, as the golfing world reminisces about Spieth’s Open win nine years ago, and wonders if he can return to his former self, perhaps instead people should be weighing the chances of this man, who is in the field this year. 

Haotong Li nearly broke Royal Birkdale’s course record on his Open debut

Haotong Li wasted no time making an impression on the major stage nine years ago. Making his Open Championship debut, the Chinese golfer shot a final round 63, one shot away from tying the course record, to surge up to solo third in the standings.

He birdied his last four holes on his way to a 63, moving from one over at the start of the day to six under by the end of it. His solo third was the best finish for an Asian player at The Open Championship since 1971, when Lu Liang-Huan finished solo second, coincidentally also at Birkdale.

Li introduced himself to the golfing world in style, but nine years later, it remains his best major championship finish. He’s been in the mix on a handful of occasions, including this year’s Masters, but a poor final round at Augusta left him T38.

In fact, Li’s best major finish since then was at last year’s Open. He ended up T4 at Royal Portrush after starting Sunday in the final pairing alongside eventual winner Scottie Scheffler. 

Because of his history at Birkdale and his prowess at The Open, he should be considered an outside contender for the Claret Jug this year before a ball is hit.