Wanning mentality: Zeng takes positive approach

China's rising women's golfing star Zeng Liqi is back home this week and looking to turn her game around after a difficult season in the United States, as the CLPG Tour debuts a new tournament in its penultimate event of the season, the Wanning Women's Golf Open.

Speaking at Oak Forest Golf Club ahead of the 500,000 yuan ($70,710) tournament, the 19-year-old Zeng, the 2022 CLPG Tour Order of Merit winner, said finishing equal second at last month's Aramco China Championship was a "big boost" after struggling in her second season stateside.

In six tournaments on the LPGA Tour this year, the Nanchang native made only two cuts. On the development Epson Tour she made six straight cuts, including an equal runner-up finish at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout in September.

After missing the cut at the Epson Tour Championship in early October, Zeng, a four-time winner on the CLPG Tour as a teenager, fell short of earning her LPGA Tour card for the 2026 season when she missed the cut by two strokes in the second stage of the qualifying school in Florida.

"The pressure and fatigue during the second stage of Q-School were intense, and I didn't make it. But I still want to say it was a good thing. I need another year on the Epson Tour to develop further. Every experience has helped me grow," said Zeng.

"After succeeding on the CLPG Tour before, everything moved too fast. To be honest, I wasn't fully ready to compete overseas. Right now, I'm working on improving myself in every aspect."