On Weekend, the 26-year-old walked off the course in Golfclub Munchen Eichenried with one of the great emotional showing off festivities after ending their four-and-a-half year await his third earn on the DP World Visit.
And what a way to end it — following a nail-biting final time, Li sunk the 40-foot birdie putt of a lifetime in order to beat Thomas Pieters in the playoff and clinch victory in the BMW International Open in Munich.
Shouting and pumping his fists wildly, Li embraced his caddie just before covering his face and sinking to his knees in the green. Visibly get over with emotion, the golfer’s passion continuing into his post-win interview.
“Where I am now… it’s f**king golfing it’s just f**king hard to describe, ” Li told the reporter from the DP World Tour.
“10 months ago I just decide to quit golfing, and somehow exactly where I am now… I needed no idea I could have won this playoff.
“I didn’t realize I really could be that psychological, maybe just because I actually never thought golfing could be that challenging. Through a lot of tough times, I realized how good that feeling would be to play good once again, ” he added.
After a 3rd location finish at The Open up in 2017 and a second win on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) a year later that will saw him pip four-time major winner Rory McIlroy within Dubai, Li had endured an unwelcoming run.
Last year, this individual missed the cut in 13 of his 16 competition appearances, with his combined 14th place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October his only top 60 consequence of the season. At his lowest position throughout 2021, he was ranked 542nd in the world.
2 top-six outings in February and 04 respectively ensured a far greater start to 2022, just before Li set a new peak with a scintillating course-record 10-under sixty two on the opening round in Munich on Thursday.
Two eagles and six birdies ensured the 26-year-old directed from the front, with back-to-back 67’s making Li leading simply by three strokes heading into the final time.
He made a scintillating start Sunday with three birdies across the first 5 holes, but four bogeys by the 16th hole saw his advantage evaporate along with three to play. Belgium’s Pieters finished highly with two birdies across the final three holes to power a play-off, departing Li to wonder if he was about to suffer yet more heartbreak.
“I thought I simply gave another possibility away and I just can’t let that can occur to me again, ” Li said.
“I currently knew it was going to be super difficult and I just kept telling myself ‘hang on in there’… luckily I did. ”
The win sees Li take home €340, 000 (roughly $358, 836) in prize cash.