The favorite just won the Asia-Pacific Amateur. Then came the hard part

GOTEMBA, Japan — They could all carry their drives 300 yards in the air, with an apex the size of Mount Fuji in the distance. Well, a good number could. Many among the 120 golfers assembled at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship could also spin their approach shots backward on Taiheiyo Club’s rain-soaked greens, putting surfaces that have seen Seve Ballesteros (1988) and Greg Norman (1993) win Taiheiyo Masters titles on them. These amateurs, the best from around Asia, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand, had plenty of game.

But there were several shots only China’s Wenyi Ding, the top-ranked amateur in the field at World No. 5, had the nerve to pull off down the stretch as he closed his amateur career with a clutch victory at the 15th Asia-Pacific Amateur.

There was a chip in for birdie at the ninth when the lead was anyone's.

As the pressure built, there was also a delicate pitch shot from thick rough, behind a cart path, past a group of trees and onto the green on the short, par-4 15th while Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley stood several feet away. Ding hit that to 10 feet while Ridley applauded just like they do at the Masters.

Yet the defining moment for Ding was a towering iron shot over water at the par-3 17th that set up a crucial birdie moments after countryman Ziqin Zhou made 4 at the par-5 18th to post the clubhouse lead at 11-under-par 269.

Ding capped it all off with a knee-knocking, five-foot par putt on the 18th hole moments later to avoid a playoff, as R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers, watched on this time. A year ago, Ding lost in extra holes to Australia’s Jasper Stubbs at Royal Melbourne. This time poured in his par putt to finish at 12-under 268 for a one-shot triumph. Japan’s Rintaro Nakano was third at 10 under (270).

“I learned last year to get it done before a playoff,” Ding said as his winning press conference erupted with laughter.

Until recently, Ding was a star freshman at Arizona State. But he looked every bit the professional while shooting four 67s on a difficult, narrow and tree-lined course at the foothills of Mount Fuji.

Ding's Asia-Pacific victory came with a twist. Given the event is run jointly by Augusta National and the R&A, the winner is offered starts in the following year's Masters and Open Championship. However, he must remain an amateur through April for the Masters and July for the Open in order to use exemptions.

But the Shanghai native Ding announced weeks before the Asia-Pacific that he was going to turn pro soon after this event—regardless of the outcome. He had a more time-sensitive decision to make: Ding is in line for a DP World Tour card via the new Global Amateur Pathway. It’s a stepping stone to the European circuit, and the equivalent of the PGA Tour University program that was created four months ago. The inaugural card is offered to the best eligible non-collegiate male amateur within the top 20 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

The criteria, though, mandated pathway hopefuls be “at least 20” (Ding reaches that age next month) and not be a current NCAA Division I player. That's why Ding, who had enjoyed a stellar debut for the Sun Devils last season with four top-five finishes in eight tournaments including a record-setting win at the Amer Ari Invitational in just his second event, did not return to the desert this fall. He leads the Pathway rankings over Jacob Skov Olesen. The WAGR points from his win in Japan likely cemented his Pathway status and Ding knew it. “It meant a lot,” Ding said. “If I played bad, I probably would lose my card from the DP World Tour. It was a lot of pressure.”

He plans on turning pro imminently, knowing he’ll have to forfeit the Masters and Open invites. “It’s hard [but] I think more likely I should take a [tour] card; maybe next week [I’ll turn pro],” Ding said.

The 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, Ding said he would have no regrets. He's also not the first amateur to skip major exemptions to join the paid ranks. South Africa’s Christo Lamprecht, a former Georgia Tech star and World No. 1 amateur, won the British Amateur in 2023. After taking up his 2024 Masters invitation, the 6-foot-8 golfer turned pro in May and waived a U.S. Open exemption.

Ding is looking at it differently. He feels his four Asia-Pacific starts since he debuted at age 15 in 2019 have helped him learn how to handle pressure.

“I'll tell you a story, the first time I played in Shanghai [in 2019], I was seven over for nine holes, so I was really nervous and couldn’t control myself,” he said. “Second time, I played in Thailand [in 2022]. I was only two strokes behind the leader after three rounds. In Melbourne, I got into the playoff, and this year, I won. Every year, I improved a little and try to be a stronger player.”

The question is, can Ding follow in the footsteps of his golf idol, three-time DP World Tour winner and countryman Haotong Li? Li, a talented and mercurial player, has played in two Masters and contended in an Open Championship. “He was top three in the Open [in 2017]. He's a really good player and brother [to me]. I don't believe a Chinese player can’t do something. I believe we can do [anything].”

The Pathway rankings window concludes next weekend and the winner is eligible to take up his DP World Tour card in late November when the circuit begins its 2025 season in Australia. The Australian PGA and Australian Open are both co-sanctioned events.

One day, though, Ding dreams of teeing up at Augusta National and the Open.

“This was my last one amateur [event] and I won it,” Ding said. “It should give me a lot of confidence. I actually played in some DP World Tour events this year, I made some cuts. I know I can do better trying to learn how to be a pro.

“I still want to play the Masters and Open, if I can. I’ll try to make it later on.”