Masters Diary: Irish PGA pro Paul McLoughlin guided Haotong Li on road to fame

China’s Haotong Li was the shock leader at a late stage of Thursday’s first round at Augusta National until eventually a few shots slipped away.

Jordan Spieth went on a birdie spree and the 22-year-old from Shanghai settled for a commendable three-under-par 69 that left him three off the pace and on the same mark as Rory McIlroy, among others. He again demonstrated his potential yesterday when he combined the brilliant with the indifferent to finish within touch of the leaders on one over par after a round of 76.

Growing up in Shanghai, Li came under the influence of Irish PGA professional Paul McLoughlin who at the time was connected to the prestigious Lake Malaren club outside the Chinese capital. His career took off in his late teens until a blistering final round of 63 for third place finish in last year’s British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale earned him a place in the Masters. Earlier this year, he pipped McIlroy by a shot to win the Dubai Desert Classic.