Dubai Desert Classic: Power ranking the top 10 at Emirates GC

4 of 11

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 28: Haotong Li of China celebrates victory with the trophy after the final round on day four of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 28, 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images) /

Haotong Li stared down Rory McIlroy to claim a one-shot victory at the 2018 Dubai Desert Classic. That must’ve scared McIlroy into jumping ship for the Farmers Insurance Open instead this year.

OK, that’s probably not McIlroy’s reasoning after all, but what Li did was impressive.

That was the second European Tour win already for the now 23-year-old from China. He’s been solid since bursting onto the scene in 2016 with a win at the China Open.

Li missed the cut last week in Abu Dhabi in his 2019 opener. Prior, he had been playing very well. He closed 2018 with five straight top-11 finishes, two of which came in the Race to Dubai Final Series, followed by a T30.

He can credit his putter with much of his success. Li led the field in putts per round at last year’s Dubai Desert Classic and was 32nd on the European Tour in strokes gained last season. He was only 50th in driving accuracy which goes to show there’s room to spray it a bit. He was 13th in driving distance at 303.9 yards a pop.

Only one player (Stephen Gallacher, 2013-2014) has defended his Dubai Desert Classic title. For all Li’s done for Chinese golf already, this feat seems well within his capabilities.

Home/Golf Power Rankings