Young Chinese pro already setting sights on joining sport's elite ranks

Although he has only been a pro for less than six months, young Chinese golfer Jin Cheng already considers himself something of a veteran of the sport.

Since first picking up a golf club as a child, Jin has always dreamed big. Now, as the silverware mounts up, those dreams are growing bigger.

Next in the 21-year-old's sights is catching up with Li Haotong－the first Chinese player to crack the world's top 50 and now a regular in major fields.

"My goal is to play just like Li Haotong, standing on the world stage. That would pay off all the efforts that my family and I have made through the years," said Jin in an exclusive interview with China Daily at last week's PGA Tour Series-China Suzhou Open in Jiangsu province.

"Right now, I just want to focus on every shot that I make. There are many factors that I cannot control, but I will fight toward my dream."

Jin shot to prominence last year as an amateur when he won an individual bronze and a team silver at the Asian Games in Indonesia.

"It was such a unique experience to be part of the Chinese delegation that won honor for my country," said Jin. "I was actually very close to the gold, but still it was truly a milestone in my career."

Golf has been a constant in Jin's life since the age of 8. "I've played the sport for 13 years. At 15, I started to enter competitions," he said.

The decision to embark on a career in sport was jointly made with his parents, who, unlike many Chinese families, did not see a conflict between golf and their son's education.

Jin studied business administration and played college golf at the University of Southern California, but left USC midway through his junior year, in January, to turn pro.

"I never give up my academic life and I still can go back to finish my university education as all the credits I earned will still count," said Jin.

"It's important for kids to figure out what they actually want to do. One route is to use golf as a key to enter college, such as playing under the NCAA system.

"Or they can choose to turn pro like me. Even if they cannot become a professional player, the experience in the golf field can also be beneficial and can teach them a lot of life lessons."

Jin reckons young Chinese prospects nowadays are starting to reap rewards from the burgeoning youth golf scene here.

"The golf environment has improved so much since I was a kid. Now quality tournaments host many junior clinics and pro-am competitions for young golfers to play with the pros on great golf courses," he said.

Helping raise the bar has been the PGA Tour Series-China, which features international fields and awards Web.com Tour cards to its top five money winners. From the Web.com Tour, players can then graduate to the PGA Tour proper.

Both world No 40 Li and Zhang Xinjun, who won the Web.com Tour's Dormie Network Classic in San Antonio, Texas, in April, played on the PGA Tour Series-China and credit it for aiding their development.

As well as acting a stepping stone for new talent, the series invests in junior golf.

"We are providing youngsters with more opportunities to embrace golf, including opening more junior clinics and inviting more kids to the golf course," said Greg Gilligan, the PGA Tour's vice-president and its Greater China managing director.

"By interacting with the pros, kids can start to envisage their own golf future. And I'm truly glad to witness the growth of Chinese players."