I don’t know about you, but when I’m sick to my stomach, there’s no way I’m getting out of bed, let alone shooting a 3-under 69 to be within a few of the lead at the Masters.
Not the case for Haotong Li, who is in that exact situation.
After opening with a 1-under 71, disaster struck the Chinese star overnight. He was so sick, he nearly withdrew from the tournament. To not only survive but shoot 3 under and sit within the top 10 at 4 under overall? That’s surprising.
“Especially went to the toilet last night a lot of times, and this morning when I got to the golf course and still feeling really bad and kind of, like, live in the toilet,” Li said after the second round.
“I didn’t hit many balls on the driving range. I was feeling really, really bad. No energy, fuzzy, want to throw up something. I actually just planned to play a few holes, see how it goes. If really sick, then I probably just decide not to.”
It’s unclear what made Li sick. How did he feel after 18 holes of golf on a sensitive stomach? Better — “Especially after that four birdies. Somehow I felt quite nice.”
This is the 30-year-old’s third Masters but his first start at Augusta National since 2019. Li made it back after seven years thanks to a T-4 finish in The Open at Royal Portrush last summer. There, he was part of the final pairing with eventual champion Scottie Scheffler. In his two prior appearances ('18, ’19), Li made the cut both times, with his career-low round at the course being a 4-under 68, which came in the final round in 2019.
Clearly, Augusta agrees with him — maybe even cured him?
“Definitely,” Lee answered when a reporter asked just that. “Major makes me feeling good.”