Haotong Li leads the way in Northern Ireland and a famous Ibrox name is on course for a 36th career triumph
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 17: Haotong Li of China looks on following his second shot on the 18th hole during Day One of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 17, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
Haotong Li shot to the top of The Open with the assistance of swing coach Jamie Gough.
The brother of former Scotland and Rangers footballing icon Richard is steering the Chinese star at Royal Portrush.
Gough’s players have been flying this term with Li already winning in Qatar. The coach has also helped Scots star Connor Syme to victory at the KLM Open, his first on the DP World Tour, and the master coach also worked with New Zealander Ryan Fox, who has landed two titles on the PGA Tour this season.
Gough could rack up a stunning 36th success of his coaching career at Royal Portrush if the Asian star gets the job done.
Li was delighted with his opening 67 and said: “I think 18. I tried to avoid a bogey and did it, which is great. I’ve been playing quite solid the whole year so far until the last couple weeks, so hopefully, keep the momentum and have some good results come in.”
The coach has been part of 35 Tour wins in a fabulous career, but when speaking at the Genesis Scottish Open last week, he modestly smiled: “I’ve been fortunate. I’ve worked with a lot of good players, so it’s enjoyable.
Joost Luiten of Netherlands looks on alongside his coach, Jamie Gough
“Last year I ended up doing 38 events on both sides and tried to do both tours. And at the beginning of this year I did the first 11 of 12 events and I did most of them in America. And then I came back, had a few health issues and I decided not to do America after a while. More just needed some rest, really, you know. But a lot of tests and strong as an ox. So I’ve just been out in Europe and it’s been great. The boys have done well.
“It was brilliant to see Connor win. Haotong, nice to see him getting his confidence back because he went off the boil for a few years, but he’s coming back nicely.
“Essentially, I had a nice sort of four-year run with him [Fox]. With me not going back to America, it’s not going to be ideal for us to work together. But you always feel vested in what a player does if you spend some time with him. Ewan’s had a nice couple of solid weeks and is starting to play well again.”
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