Li Haotong overcomes severe illness to surge into Masters contention
Chinese golfer Li Haotong overcame severe stomach illness to shoot a three-under-par 69 in the second round of the Masters, moving within two shots of the lead at Augusta National.
The 30-year-old feared he would be unable to compete on Friday after spending the morning violently unwell.
Despite arriving at the course drained of energy, he displayed remarkable resilience to complete all 18 holes.
Surviving the front nine
The returning competitor, making his first appearance at the prestigious tournament since 2019, initially intended to play only a handful of holes.
This morning when I got to the golf course I was still feeling really bad and kind of living in the toilet.
He started steadily with a birdie on the first hole before consecutive bogeys on the fourth and seventh left him one over par at the turn.
At that stage, mere survival appeared to be the primary objective for the exhausted athlete.
A stunning back-nine surge
However, his fortunes changed dramatically as he settled into the notoriously challenging back nine.
The Chinese star delivered an exceptional run of four successive birdies across the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th holes.
This spectacular flurry propelled him high up the leaderboard, securing a position just two strokes behind clubhouse leader Sam Burns.
I didn’t hit many balls on the driving range. I was feeling really, really bad. No energy, fuzzy, want to throw up something.
Defying physical expectations
The impressive second-round performance leaves him at four under par overall for the first major of the year.
He admitted that the sudden sequence of birdies served as an unexpected remedy for his acute physical discomfort.
I actually just planned to play a few holes, see how it goes. If really sick, then I probably just decide not to. I’m glad I survived today.
His sheer determination now sets up an intriguing weekend as he unexpectedly hunts for the coveted Green Jacket.
