Tag: Wenyi Ding

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.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]