“Haotong Who?” — Scottie Scheffler Dominates While Haotong Li Shines Bright

Scottie Scheffler dominated the British Open, but Haotong Li’s relaxed and humorous demeanor stole the show. Li finished T-4 with a solid performance, securing his Tour card and an invitation to Augusta. His lighthearted interactions with Scheffler added a fun layer to the competition, showcasing the camaraderie in golf.

morgdotmac

July 21, 2025

2–3 minutes

British Open, gambling, Golf, masters, pga, pga-tour, sports

Let’s be clear: nobody was beating Scottie Scheffler on Sunday. It kind of became obvious, in hindsight on Friday afternoon. Bennet’s dad is locked in like he’s playing Golden Tee on beginner mode. But somehow, the most delightful subplot of the entire British Open wasn’t Scheffler casually stomping the field it was Haotong Li hanging around, playing dialed golf, cracking jokes, and showing both great focus and fun personality.

Going in to Sunday’s final round, Li basically shrugged and said, “Yeah, I’m just playing for second.” That’s not defeatist energy, that’s self-awareness mixed with a shot of I-don’t-give-a-damn. And frankly I love the honest take and the net result was a calmer Sunday for guy who all the sudden is on the main stage at a major, The Open Championship.

Despite some tee shots that might’ve been classified as search-and-rescue missions, Haotong ground out a one-under 70, good enough for a T-4 finish and a golden ticket to Augusta. Throw in birdies on 15 and 17, and the man closed like a boss.

But here’s where it gets fun and funny.

While most guys would’ve been puckered up tighter than a new Pro V1 in that final group, Li? He was chillin’. Joking with Scottie. Trading digits. AND, plotting future practice rounds. The man straight-up asked the World No. 1 if he could text him for a range session when he gets back on the PGA Tour — and Scheffler, ever the polite Texan, said yes.

Then came the punchline.

Li: “When I text you, you better reply.”

Scheffler: “Haotong who?”

That’s buddy-cop comedy gold.

We need this duo.

Give me Scheffler and Li in the Par 3 Contest at Augusta. Give me them paired again at the Masters.

Because while the golf world fixated on whether Scottie could make golf boring again, Haotong Li reminded us that even at the highest level, golf’s still a hang.

Let this take marinate: Haotong might’ve had the most productive T-4 of all time.