Wanning mentality: Zeng takes positive approach

China's rising women's golfing star Zeng Liqi is back home this week and looking to turn her game around after a difficult season in the United States, as the CLPG Tour debuts a new tournament in its penultimate event of the season, the Wanning Women's Golf Open.

Speaking at Oak Forest Golf Club ahead of the 500,000 yuan ($70,710) tournament, the 19-year-old Zeng, the 2022 CLPG Tour Order of Merit winner, said finishing equal second at last month's Aramco China Championship was a "big boost" after struggling in her second season stateside.

In six tournaments on the LPGA Tour this year, the Nanchang native made only two cuts. On the development Epson Tour she made six straight cuts, including an equal runner-up finish at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout in September.

After missing the cut at the Epson Tour Championship in early October, Zeng, a four-time winner on the CLPG Tour as a teenager, fell short of earning her LPGA Tour card for the 2026 season when she missed the cut by two strokes in the second stage of the qualifying school in Florida.

"The pressure and fatigue during the second stage of Q-School were intense, and I didn't make it. But I still want to say it was a good thing. I need another year on the Epson Tour to develop further. Every experience has helped me grow," said Zeng.

"After succeeding on the CLPG Tour before, everything moved too fast. To be honest, I wasn't fully ready to compete overseas. Right now, I'm working on improving myself in every aspect."

Zeng, who finished a stroke behind winner Liu Ruixin at the Aramco China Championship, called the result "really positive for her confidence". In that tournament at Shenzhen's Mission Hills Golf Club she finished one stroke ahead of Yin Ruoning, the Shanghai native and World No 7.

"I'm really happy to be back on the CLPG Tour. Many (Chinese) players (competing overseas) chose to rest and recover toward the end of the season. But it's been a while since I last competed in an official event, I really missed everyone, my friends, and the tournament atmosphere here. That's why I decided to keep playing," Zeng explained. "Competing can also serve as training for me. This time, I don't have high expectations regarding results. I just hope to see more progress in my mental game."

Among the notable competitors in the field this week are Wang Zixuan, the CLPG Tour points ranking leader, Xu Ying, the rookie pro who has won three times this season, Epson Tour regulars Ye Lei and Ren Yue, Li Jieni, second at last month's Fila Golf Women's Classic, and An Zining, the Tianjin amateur who beat a pro field to win the China Golf Women's Legacy event in May.

"For this week's tournament, I have made several adjustments to my swing. There is significant improvement in my short game," said the 16-year-old An, a Shenzhen University student who is 153rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

"I was at this course in February for the national junior team training. It's really challenging, with lots of up and downs, and the distance is quite long. I'll choose to be more aggressive this week."

With rain in the forecast for the first two days of the tournament, but due to turn to sunshine for Saturday's final round, what the field will find is a revamped Oak Forest course that was closed from April to July for extensive upgrades. The par-72, 6,611-yard mountain course created by Malaysian designer CJ Tan has undergone extensive sanding across the entire layout to improve the quality of the fairways, while the smoothness of the putting surface on the greens has been enhanced through soil conditioning and fertilization.

The golf club is just one of the many attractions that the Wanning Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports wants to promote to the world. The city, situated on the east coast of island province of Hainan, features spectacular beaches, world-class resorts and an abundance of tropical scenery in a rainforest setting, among others.

"Our goal is to bring people closer to nature to enjoy the beauty of Wanning through its gorgeous views, and feel the vibrant atmosphere created by Wanning Women's Golf Open," said the bureau's chief official. "Cultural activities can be, and should be, integrated with sporting events, especially for a professional tournament like the one we have this week. We hope our efforts will make more people want to explore the city of Wanning."

Wei Qingfeng, China Golf Association secretary-general, said the launch of the Wanning Women's Golf Open provided not only a new platform for women golfers to enhance their abilities, but also marked another important step in the regional development of the CLPG Tour.

"Integrating golf tournaments with tourism is an ingenious strategy, encouraging people to 'travel with the tournament', bringing new opportunities to the local economy and allowing more people to enjoy the joy of sport and the beauty of life on the golf course," Wei said.

Li Hong, CLPG Tour managing director, added: "Wanning boasts exceptional natural resources and extensive experience in hosting large-scale sporting events. We believe the first Wanning Women's Golf Open will certainly achieve success here.

"This city enjoys a unique geographical advantage in golf, and the seaside offers one of the healthiest lifestyles one can imagine. Such an environment not only offers players an excellent competitive experience, but also allows spectators to discover golf in a more relaxed and open way."