HAIKOU, China, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's Li Shuying captured the CLPG Tour Championship in memorable fashion on Saturday as the Jilin Province native carded a rare albatross at the fourth hole on the way to a four-stroke victory on Hainan Island.
After starting the day four strokes behind overnight leader Ji Yuai (72), Li closed with an eight-under 64 on The Vintage course at Mission Hills Resort Haikou for a 54-hole score of nine-under 207.
Ji finished runner-up to move to the top of the Order of Merit ahead of Pang Runzhi (66) after closing with an even-par round. Zhou Shiyuan, the 14-year-old who was aiming to win her third straight tournament against a pro field, shot 69 to finish equal third, tied with fellow amateur Xu Ying (71).
Playing one group ahead of the lead group, Li came out firing with a birdie at the first hole to get to two-under. At the 487-yard fourth, the 20-year-old found the cup with a hybrid from 210 yards out for the fourth albatross in Tour history - the first since the 2023 Women's China Open when Fang Xinyuan accomplished the feat.
"I saw the ball land five yards to the right of the pin, bounce and disappear. But I had no good vision. Cai Danlin (76) in the same group saw it and told me. It's my first time. I felt so happy. I have had two hole-in-ones, but an albatross is rarer," said Li.
"At that time (of the albatross), I saw the leaderboard and knew I had a good chance. But you know I lost a lot of shots on the back nine yesterday. Even with a birdie at the 10th hole, I didn't feel safe. Ji Yuai is a talented player and could have had a couple of eagles. I didn't feel safe until I saw that my second shot was on the 18th green."
Ji, who was aiming for her third victory of the year, got off to a disastrous start with a birdie and four bogeys over the front nine. She then settled down to card three birdies over the back nine.
"Li Shuying is a good friend. I am not sad since she is a winner with a 64 in the final round. As I said before, I wouldn't feel disappointed if I tried my best. Today was such a day. Li played better than me. I felt happy for her," said the 19-year-old from Dalian. ■