Tag: Wenyi Ding

Wenyi Ding officially turns pro after earning DP World Tour card via Global Amateur Pathway ranking

The next wave of talent turned pro Wednesday.

Wenyi Ding has officially turned pro.

That has been the plan all along, but it became reality Wednesday morning, as the 19-year-old star from China turned professional, earning his DP World Tour card for the 2025 season thanks to his standing in the Global Amateur Pathway ranking.

The DP World Tour, PGA Tour and the R&A launched GAP to provide direct access to professional golf for the world’s best non-collegiate amateurs. Ding, who left Arizona State this fall after only one semester with the team, won the Asia-Pacific Amateur two weeks ago, but is passing up on the major championship exemptions to immediately join the professional ranks.

“I’m excited to start my journey as a professional and look forward to teeing it up on the DP World Tour next season,” Ding said in a release. “The Global Amateur Pathway has given me an incredible opportunity, and my thanks go to the DP World Tour, the R&A and the PGA Tour for supporting me and my fellow amateur players to reach their goals.”

Ding, who turns 20 next month, will make his pro debut this week in his home country on the Challenge Tour’s Hangzhou Open in Hangzhou, China. His DP World Tour debut is expected in Australia in late November.

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Ding wasn’t the only amateur to benefit from the GAP. Also earning European Challenge Tour exemptions were Jacob Skov Olesen, Luis Masaveu and Bastian Amat. Meanwhile, Peter Fountain, Jake Hall, Nathan Petronzio, and Ben Warian earned PGA Tour Americas membership for the 2025 Latin America swing.

“The Global Amateur Pathway is a key component of the pathways system we’ve developed on the DP World Tour, in collaboration with our partners at The R&A and PGA Tour,” Guy Kinnings, the DP World Tour’s chief executive, said. “It brings together the best global talent and provides them with a worldwide platform to showcase their abilities. Congratulations to Wenyi Ding on becoming the inaugural winner, setting a high standard for future stars to follow, and we look forward to welcoming him to the DP World Tour next season.”

As for Ding, he’s looking forward to his professional journey, which begins close to home Thursday.

“I’m excited for the tournament, but for me I feel normal and just want to play well,” he said.

Why Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Wenyi Ding is likely to pass on Masters, Open Championship exemptions

“I think more likely I should take the card.”

Wenyi Ding picked up one of the biggest wins of his life Sunday.

The 19-year-old from China, who won the USGA’s 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur at Bandon Dunes, captured the 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan, carding four consecutive rounds of 3-under 67 to claim the title by one shot over fellow countryman Ziqin Zhou, a freshman at California. Ding, ranked fifth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, earned exemptions into the 2025 Masters and 2025 Open Championship with the win, but he’s planning to pass on them.

The reason why? He’s likely turning pro before the end of the year to earn his DP World Tour card.

“Before I played this, I can’t imagine I’m guarantee(d) to win this tournament,” Ding said Sunday. “So, I don’t know. It’s a problem.

“I think more likely I should take the card.”

A follow-up question was then asked about when that would happen, and Ding said maybe next week.

Wenyi Ding of China lifts the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship trophy after winning the 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship being played at the Taiheiyo Club in Gotemba, Japan on Sunday 6 October 2024. Photograph by AAC.

Ding, who withdrew from Arizona State before the fall after playing the spring with the Sun Devils, is No. 1 in the Global Amateur Pathway ranking, which rewards the top non-collegiate amateur every year with a DP World Tour card. To be eligible, a player must “not be a current NCAA Division-I player” and “be at least 20 years of age by the end of the calendar year.” Ding turns 20 in November.

The winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur gets an exemption into the two major championship, with the caveat the player remains an amateur. However, Ding sounds confident he will find his way to both Augusta National and golf’s oldest major in due time.

“No matter what, I’m amateur or pro, I will still play the Masters and The Open. So if I can, I can make it later,” he said.

Last year, Ding fell in a playoff to Jasper Stubbs at Royal Melbourne to lose the Asia-Pacific Amateur. This time around, in what could be his final event as an amateur, he picked up his latest signature win and proved his worth of the professional opportunities waiting for him.

He was asked whether there would be any regrets to passing on the exemptions, to which he answered: “A person can have a lot of regrets. When I was 14, I won the amateur event in China for three years, and every time you win, you got the Volvo China Open. But the call didn’t come. So it’s hard.”

Only time will tell if and when Ding will tee it up in the major championships.

World No. 4 amateur Wenyi Ding no longer at Arizona State. What’s next?

Ding won’t compete for the Sun Devils this fall, a school spokesperson confirmed to Golfweek.

Wenyi Ding, the No. 4 amateur in the world, is no longer on the Arizona State men’s golf roster.

Ding will remain an amateur for the foreseeable future, but he won’t compete for the Sun Devils this fall, a school spokesperson confirmed to Golfweek. Ding, who won the Southern Amateur this summer, withdrew from the U.S. Amateur field last week because of an undisclosed injury.

Last spring, Ding made a stellar collegiate debut. He posted five top-six finishes, including a record-setting win at the Amer Ari Invitational. He earned first-team All-America honors and was expected to be one of the top collegiate players this season.

However, Ding’s decision to not play for Arizona State this fall likely has to do with his position in the Global Amateur Pathway ranking, where he sits No. 1. The ranking rewards the top non-collegiate amateur each year with a DP World Tour card.

In order to be eligible for the ranking, a player must “not be a current NCAA Division-I player” and “be at least 20 years of age by the end of the calendar year.” Ding turns 20 in November.

The first exemptions will be awarded for the 2025 season.

Even with Ding’s departure, the Sun Devils have a loaded roster for the 2024-25 season. Highlighting the roster is world No. 7 and 2024 U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester and Preston Summerhays, the PGA Tour University No. 1 in the Class of 2025 and world No. 6.

NCAA history in Hawaii, Oregon freshman wins again among highlights from past week of college golf

No one has ever gone as low as Wenyi Ding did.

It’s hard to put into context what Wenyi Ding did in Hawaii.

The freshman at Arizona State was a mid-year enrollee for the Sun Devils. And in his first two tournaments, he has bested some ASU records set by former players such as Jon Rahm. In fact, Ding has set new NCAA benchmarks because of his stellar play.

It’s like he’s playing basketball on a five-foot hoop against a bunch of preschoolers, but instead he’s playing golf against some of the best amateurs in the world in stellar college tournaments across the United States.

However, Ding wasn’t the only great story last week. Here’s what you need to know from the past week in college golf.

More college golf: Practice facilities around the country

Arizona State freshman sets all-time college golf scoring record in just his second start

Ding is having a historic start to his college career at ASU.

Wenyi Ding is having a historic start to his college career at Arizona State.

The mid-year enrollee and 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, Ding was brilliant in his debut last month at the National Invitational Tournament in Tucson, Arizona. He finished solo second at 17-under 199, which tied the fourth-best 54-hole score in team history since 1993-94.

He destroyed that mark in his second college start in Hawaii.

Ding won the Amer Ari Invitational on Saturday at Mauna Lani’s North Course on the Big Island, topping a field that includes six of the top nine golfers in the NCAA individual rankings, and he did so in record fashion. Ding shot 27-under 189, shattering the previous ASU record, Jon Rahm’s 21-under 192 at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational.

Not only is that an ASU record, the 189 is believed to be the lowest 54-hole total in the history of men’s college golf.

Arizona State freshman Wenyi Ding at the 2024 Amer Ari Invitaitonal. (Photo: Alex Gelman/Sun Devil Athletics)

In his six collegiate rounds, Ding has yet to shoot worse than 67, and his worst round at the Amer Ari was 8-under 64. He joined Rahm and Alex del Rey as the only Sun Devil golfers since 1993-94 to shoot 16 under or better in two tournaments during their career. His 10-under 62 in the final round also tied the lowest 18-hole score in ASU history.

Ding was brilliant in Hawaii, recording only one bogey over 54 holes of play. He had 26 birdies and an eagle, as well. He beat Washington’s Finn Koelle and San Jose State’s Carl Corpus by nine shots.

In the team competition, ASU also set a 54-hole scoring record at 63-under 801. However, it was North Carolina taking the team title, beating the Sun Devils by five shots and finishing at 68-under 796.

Last year, Illinois also hit 796 as a team at the Missouri Tiger Collegiate.

Ding is 44 under in his first six rounds as a Sun Devil, and his latest round etched his name in the record books. He has shot sub-200 totals over his first two 54 holes tournaments, which is also believed to be the first time that has happened.

Wenyi Ding, 17, wins 74th U.S. Junior Amateur, becomes first male from China to win USGA championship

Ding is the first men’s player from China to win any USGA championship.

Wenyi Ding made history on Saturday.

After losing his first two holes during the 74th U.S. Junior Amateur at Bandon Dunes in Oregon, Ding played great en route to his 3-and-2 victory over Caleb Surratt to capture the championship.

Ding is the first male player from China to win any United States Golf Association championship, and he’s the second who made the final of the U.S. Junior Amateur, following Bo Jin in 2019. Ding is also the first international champion since Min Woo Lee in 2016.

With the victory, Ding earned an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He and Surratt, who will attend Tennessee in the fall, were both already exempt into next month’s U.S. Amateur.

Ding, 17, is committed to Arizona State and has one year left before his college career begins.

The duo came in as the highest ranked players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings competing in the championship (Surratt at No. 19 and Ding at No. 20), and the final match certainly lived up to the hype.

Surratt started the 36-hole championship match great, winning the first two holes to take an early advantage. Ding fought back, winning the fourth hole with a par and the seventh with a birdie to tie it. Then, he won three straight holes on Nos. 10-12 to go 3 up. Surratt stopped the bleeding with a birdie on the par-4 14th, but Ding responded, winning the 15th hole to go into the lunch break 3 up.

That’s when the rout started. Ding won five of the first 10 holes during the pair’s second 18, and Surratt didn’t win any. Ding’s lead reached 8 up with 8 to play after a great second shot into the par-4 10th settled just a couple feet from the hole, giving him an easy birdie.

Surratt wouldn’t go down without a fight. After taking a drop on the par-4 11th, Ding dropped the hole with his first bogey on the second half of the day. Surratt proceeded to birdie the par-3 12th and par-5 13th hole to make it 5 down with 5 to play.

Ding’s approach shot to the 14th hole nearly hit the flag stick and settled just behind the hole. Surratt one-upped Ding, his approach hitting the flag stick and deflecting off the pin just left of the hole. Ding conceded the putt, and his birdie lipped out, extending the match yet again.

On the par-3 15th hole, Surrat’s shot settled on the green while Ding wasn’t on after three shots, so Ding conceded the hole, making it 3 up with 3 to play.

On the par-4 16th, both players hit their tee shots pin high and left of the flag. Ding’s approach settled close to the hole, and Surratt’s was left. His birdie putt missed, and Ding closed with a par of his own to half the hole and clinch the match.

The only other players from China to win a USGA championship are Alice Jo at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and Lei Yi at the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur.

Ding made 11 birdies and one eagle during the championship match. Surratt hadn’t trailed in match play until Saturday.

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