Wenyi Ding is formally on his technique to the DP World Tour.
The 19-year-old Ding, who lately received the Asia-Pacific Newbie, has opted to bypass his exemptions earned from that victory and settle for full DPWT membership for subsequent season by way of the International Newbie Pathway rating.
Ding, who left Arizona State this summer time after taking part in one semester for the Solar Devils, will make his skilled debut at this week’s Hangzhou Open, a Problem Tour occasion in his native China.
“I’m excited to start out my journey as an expert and look ahead to teeing it up on the DP World Tour subsequent season,” Ding stated. “The International Newbie Pathway has given me an unimaginable alternative, and my thanks go to the DP World Tour, The R&A and the PGA Tour for supporting me and my fellow novice gamers to achieve their objectives.”
The GAP rating, in its first 12 months, was created this previous June as a complement to PGA Tour College and to offer non-collegiate novice gamers a pathway to the DPWT and different professional excursions. To be eligible for GAP, gamers can’t be an lively NCAA Division-I participant, they usually should even be a minimum of 20 years outdated and ranked within the prime 200 of WAGR. Present professionals Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama and Min Woo Lee would have been among the many gamers to earn DPWT playing cards had GAP been in impact throughout their novice days.
Along with Ding, eight different gamers obtained some form of standing by way of GAP:
Problem Tour membership went to Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen, Spain’s Luis Masaveu and France’s Bastian Amat. Olesen, the reigning British Newbie winner, nonetheless has a call to make as he, too, has main exemptions, together with a Masters invite, afforded to him if he stays novice.
PGA Tour Americas membership (for the Latin swing solely) went to former NCAA gamers Nathan Petronzio, Peter Fountain, Ben Warian and Jake Corridor.
And a Sunshine Tour card went to South Africa’s Tyran Snyders.
“The International Newbie Pathway is a key part of the pathways system we’ve developed on the DP World Tour, in collaboration with our companions at The R&A and PGA Tour,” stated Man Kinnings, DP World Tour chief govt. “It brings collectively the very best international expertise and offers them with a worldwide platform to showcase their talents. Congratulations to Wenyi Ding on changing into the inaugural winner, setting a excessive normal for future stars to observe, and we look ahead to welcoming him to the DP World Tour subsequent season.”