Nanjing, China: Dou Zecheng will carry the hopes of the host nation as he becomes the first Chinese athlete to compete in an Olympic golf competition at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.
The 17-year-old will bid to win an Olympic gold medal on home soil this week in the first ever golf event to be played in the Youth Olympic Games.
Dou was honoured to be one of seven youth Olympians to carry the Olympic Flag during the Opening Ceremony on Saturday and relished the experience of meeting some of China’s most successful athletes.
“It was a really good atmosphere at the Opening Ceremony. I really enjoyed it,” he said. “There were Olympic gold medallists like Liu Xiang and Wang Liqin standing right next to me. It was really cool.”
A student at Arizona State University, Dou is ranked 38th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and is aiming to win the competition for his country. “I want to win the gold medal here. I have confidence in how I’m playing. I have been playing quite well recently and am just looking to make some small improvements to some areas of my game,” he said.
Dou has made huge progress over the last 18 months. He was the best Chinese player at Volvo China Open in 2013, overshadowing Chinese veterans such as Liang Wenchong and Wu Ashun. He also finished tied fourth in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Nanshan.
This year Dou has managed three top-10 finishes in the PGA Tour China Series, including one second place. He qualified for the US Amateur Championship but chose to come to Nanjing instead to prepare for the Youth Olympics.
“I would like to have played the US Amateur but I still have opportunities to play in it as long as I am an amateur. This will be my only chance to play at a Youth Olympic Games,” he added.
The men’s and women’s golf competitions start tomorrow at 8.30 am at Zhongshan International Golf Club. Dou tees off at 9 am alongside Renato Paratore of Italy and Tony Gil from Canada.