- The 26-year-old says he struggled on his debut season at the Korn Ferry Tour but it helped him improve his game physically and mentally
- The Beijing-born Hongkonger wins his second title on the PGA Tour Series-China with his one-stroke victory in Hunan province
Two months ago, golf was a mental chore for Hong Kong's Motin Yeung. He was missing cuts on the intensely competitive second tier circuit of the US PGA Tour, nothing he tried was working and he was about to lose his status on the series.
Those negative feelings did not last long, though. Yeung knew he was doing what he loved and, despite his struggles on the Korn Ferry Tour, his game was genuinely improving.
And it all came together for the Beijing-born Hongkonger, who celebrated his 26th birthday over the weekend with his second title on the PGA Tour Series-China after a one-stroke victory in the Zhuzhou Classic in Hunan province.
"I had some challenges, especially in July when I wasn't doing very well mentally," Yeung said from Beijing. "It lingered for like a week, maybe. I wasn't very happy and was in a bad mood but I turned things around pretty quickly, telling myself just to be happy playing here (in the United States).
Motin Yeung in the driver's seat in Zhuzhou. 2 birdies and an eagle on the back nine gives him a 2 stroke lead with two holes to go. pic.twitter.com/vLsacZBaiU
" PGA TOUR Series-China (@PGATOURChina) September 22, 2019
"It was something new, I love it out here, love travelling and love playing on this tour with the competition but I had no good results to show yet.
"But I said I got to keep on working and hoping something good will happen and something good did happen this week (in Zhuzhou)."
Yeung, who represented Duke University in the United States, made his PGA Tour Series-China breakthrough in June, 2018, when he won the Kunming Championship in Yunnan province on a sponsor's invite, having failed to make it through Q School.
That secured his card on the Tour and this year he secured status on the Korn Ferry Tour. But it was a difficult debut season. Out of 16 tournaments, he had just one top-10 finish and missed 10 cuts, including seven in a row. His prize money of US$25,408 and rank of 147 was not enough to help him retain his status.
Hong Kong golfer Motin Yeung scores landmark victory on PGA Tour Series-China
"I would say the hardest thing was the schedule," said Yeung, a big NBA fan who met former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen during the victory ceremony. "From April to August there was a tournament every week and you can't really afford to take that many weeks off, especially because I wasn't playing well and I wanted to play as many as possible.
"It was physically challenging and, more importantly, mentally. At one point I was missing seven straight cuts and I would try to do something different. It was really hard mentally to adjust " how to start being fresh again was really hard to do."
Victory in Zhuzhou, though, gives him the confidence to return to the Korn Ferry Tour, which is the main pathway for players to qualify for the PGA Tour.
"That's for sure, I want to make it through Q School or win another tournament or have a second place and go straight to the final stage and secure some sort of status next year," said Yeung, whose parents moved to the US when he was 12.
"I think my game has developed a lot, just in how I prepare for tournaments and maintain the health of my body and mind. I learned a lot about how to do those things better.
"A lot of it is mental preparation. Before, if I shoot five or six under I may be happy, but now with the competition at Korn Ferry, shooting five or six under you may still miss the cut.
"With that kind of expectation, I push myself mentally to shoot lower scores and that has changed my performance on the course."
Yeung said he would like to take part in December's Hong Kong Open at Fanling but he was likely to miss the tournament because of Q School. His next tournament on the China series is the Macau Championship from October 10-13.
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