2009: 3, Dongfeng NISSAN Teana Open
20, Luxehills Golf Championship
14=, Sofitel Zhongshan IGC Open
2008: 4, Omega Order of Merit
4, Omega Championship
8=, Tianjin Championship
4=, Sofitel Golf Championship
8, Shanghai Championship
MC, Kunming Championship
Winner, Dell Championship
4, Guangzhou Championship
2007: Winner, OMEGA Order of Merit
2, OMEGA Championship
Winner, Xiamen Leg
3=, Kuming Leg
Winner, Fifth Leg
Winner, Yanji Golf Championship
5, Guangzhou Leg
2=, Qingdao Leg
8, Sofitel Golf Championship
2006: 2, OMEGA Order of Merit
2, OMEGA Championship
Winner, Kunming Leg
4, Shanghai Leg
Winner, Shandong Leg
5, Zhuhai Leg
3, Hainan Leg
2005: Winner, Order of Merit
Winner, Hainan Leg
2nd, Zhuhai Leg
10, Kunming Leg
Winner, Beijing Leg
Highlights
(Pro):
2009: 14, Midea China Classic, Shunde, China, OneAsia
2008: 70, HSBC Champions, Shanghai, China, Asian Tour
5, "International Wind Cup" China Pro-Am
28=, Volvo China Open, Beijing, China
61=, BMW Asian Open, Shanghai, China
35=, Pine Valley Beijing Open, Beijing, China
MC, Midea China Classic, Shunde, China
2007: Winner, "Buddha Cup" China Golf Championship
3, "International Wind Cup" China Pro-Am
2006: 6, Midea China Classic
66, HSBC Champions
14, VW Masters - China, Asian Tour
31, Crowne Plaza Open, Asian Tour
38, Bangkok Airways Open, Asian Tour
54,Volvo China Open, Asian/European Tour
25, TCL Classic, Asian/European Tour
2005: 8, Royal Orchid China Classic
Winner, China Tour - Beijing Leg
2, Uni Cup China Pro-Am Tournament, Beijing
Ranked number one by CGA
25, Crowne Plaza Open, Beijing, Asian Tour
9 VW Masters, Beijing
2004: 9, Sanya Open, Asian Tour
10, Carlsberg Masters Vietnam, Asian Tour
2, Tianjin Classic
Ranked number one by CGA
2003: 2, Beijing Classic; Winner, Zhangjiagang Classic
2, National Pro-Am
45, Sanya Open
2002: 5, Suzhou Classic
Highlights
(A):
2001: Winner, China Amateur Open
Winner, Zhongshan Stop, Agile Amateur Tour
2000: Winner, All-China Games (non-Olympic sports)
Year/age first started golf: 16
Marital status: Single
Hobbies: Sports, football, singing
Typical hitting distances: Driver: 290 yards, 3 wood: 250 yards, 5 iron: 200 yards, 7 iron: 170 yards, 9 iron: 140 yards.
Li Chao was knocked off his mantle on the 2008 Omega China Tour, having previously only been challenged for supremacy on the circuit by Zhang Lianwei as he won the Omega Order of Merit in 2005 and 2007. In a new era featuring experienced Asian Tour veterans from Chinese Taipei, teenage superstars and other fast-emerging talents, Li had to work harder than ever to remain competitive.
It was a mixed year for Li, who remains one of the best ball strikers on the Tour. The towering big-hitter started off the year by signing a sponsorship contract with Mizuno and in late March passionately celebrated his victory over Zhang in the Dell Championship in Xiamen, but he otherwise failed to seriously challenge for a title during the season.
He surprisingly missed a cut for the first time at the Kunming Championship, two weeks after winning the Dell, although three fourth-placed finishes and two eighth places meant he has finished in the top 10 in every other Omega China Tour event since 2005. He also made his debut in Europe when he joined Zhang at the Omega European Masters, opening with an impressive 69 before a 74 meant he missed the cut by one.
In 2007, Li stamped his authority on the Omega China Tour, winning the Omega Order of Merit for the second time thanks to three victories and five other top-10 finishes.
He amassed RMB652,125 to triumph over veteran Zhang Lianwei, who also recorded three wins in 2007, by RMB92,375. Li made the decisive move with back-to-back victories in the Yanji Golf Championship and Shanghai Leg before wrapping up the title race with a win in the Xiamen Leg, the penultimate event of the season. He was also the birdie king, shooting 114 birdies and five eagles.
His outstanding year on the fairways brought Li's total number of victories on the Omega China Tour to a record seven having won twice in both 2005 and 2006.
Li lifted the Order of Merit in the first year of the Tour thanks to wins in the opening event in Beijing and Hainan but was denied a repeat triumph in 2006 by the consistency of Zhang. His victories were, however, impressive. Three birdies on the last four holes of the Tiger Beach Golf Links allowed him to snatch the Shandong Leg from Yuan Hao while in Kunming he decimated the field with a seven-under-par 65 on day three.
The national amateur champion in 2001, Li was discovered by the CGA's Deputy General Secretary Song Liangliang when he was a 16-year-old football goalkeeper. Educated in golf at the Beijing No. 77 Secondary School, he has long been groomed for stardom. Born in Beijing, he's now based at Nanhai Peach Garden Golf Club outside of Guangzhou.
With three top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour already (in the 2004 Sanya Open and Carlsberg Masters Vietnam and in the 2005 VW Masters in Beijing), Li has proved he has the talent to compete internationally but has so far not tested himself regularly outside of China.
