Haotong Li shot a 69 in the second round of the Masters despite battling severe stomach issues overnight and into Friday. The Chinese professional sits tied for seventh, eight shots behind leader Rory McIlroy after 36 holes. Li credited the major championship with helping him feel better after his strong back-nine performance.
Augusta, Ga. — Haotong Li followed his opening-round 71 with a 69 at Augusta National, navigating both the course's challenges and personal health struggles. He bogeyed holes 4 and 7 after a birdie on 2, then surged with birdies on the par-5 13th, par-4 14th, par-5 15th, and par-3 16th to stay in contention. Li avoided Rae’s Creek on 13, nearly holed out for eagle on 14, chipped close on 15 after going over the green, and almost aced 16. “Was super tough chip over there,” he said of the 15th. Li revealed he spent much of Thursday night in the bathroom and arrived at the course Friday feeling queasy, with no energy and a desire to vomit. “Especially went to the toilet last night a lot of times, and this morning when I got to the golf course and still feeling really bad and kind of, like, live in the toilet,” Li said. He skipped much of his pre-round driving range session and considered withdrawing after a few holes if symptoms worsened. By round's end, Li reported improvement. When asked if Augusta National and the Masters had cured him, he replied, “Definitely. Major makes me feeling good.” His resilience kept him competitive among 90 players.
