Young amateur Lin Xi Yu who had an incredible second round at the Sanya Ladies Open at Yalong Bay Golf Club, has set her mind on winning the individual and team gold medal at next month’s Asian Games in Guangzhou.
The 14-year-old, who also hails from Guangzhou, played a near flawless second round of golf at the Sanya Ladies Open with her coach Gao Qiang carrying her bag. She finished the round with a 6-under 66 for a two-round total of 141 to share the sixth spot with three other players.
More than a decade ago, her mother, Du Jing, also represented China in football but Lin is more interested in lighting up the fairways. Her mother had a friend who was in charge of the Chinese golf team and now, on a sabbatical from the Chinese Football Association, she herself is taking care of golf at the Asian games.
“I started playing at the age of seven, travelled a lot to improve. My presence here is not to win but to improve my game, my pace of playing and more importantly to have a good outing at the Asian Games. From the look of things, my game is soaring and I hope to hit peak form in Guangzhao,” she said.
Lin is already dreaming of standing on the rostrum and dangling the gold medal to photographers. She’s keen to hog the limelight for golf in China and would love to be a professional golfer.
Lin said her coach has been very helpful and has been guiding her well. “It really is an advantage to have him carrying my bag.”
The teen sensation said she was not bothered if she could not win any money in the ongoing tournament.
“I don’t care or even think about that. I want results and I’m more interesting in how I’m shaping my future in golf,” she said. However she added: “This is my first time playing on the Ladies European Tour and I’m so excited.”
