Cheng Jin, a sophomore at USC, coasted to a 17-stroke victory in the PGA Tour Series-China Mainland China Qualifying Tournament at Wolong Lake Golf Club in Liuzhou City, China.
The 19-year-old Jin posted a score of 68-71-70-67—276, 12-under-par, to run away from Zihong Zhang and Cilin Zhou, who tied for second.
“I played great today,” said Jin, who is from Beijing. “I started really well and finished really well. I made four birdies on the front nine, hung in during the middle of the round and fortunately was able to finish in a great way.
“It’s a great tour. PGA Tour and the China Golf Association put such a great effort into this Tour and getting players to the next big stage. I played this Tour in 2014 and 2015, and had a lot of great memories out here, so I’m looking forward to a great new season.”
Even though he remains an amateur, Jin has had success on the PGA Tour-China, winning the 2014 Nine Dragons Open to become the circuit’s youngest champion at 14, and also won the 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, earning him an invitation to the 2016 Masters.
In addition, Jin claimed the title in 2016 Players Amateur to earn a spot in the PGA Tour’s 2017 RBC Heritage.
Jin, who has returned to USC for the rest of the season, has given no indication as to when he might turn pro.
