Troon Privé Connect, June/July 2018

24 TROON PRIVÉ CONNECT sponsored by some way Xiong said Soon hell get the chance Xiong has yet to officially declare his intentions to turn pro after this spring but most expect him to do so He had the talent to make the jump a year ago and Martin is among those who wouldnt be surprised to see Xiong make a quick transition onto the PGA Tour much like Jon Rahm did two summers ago after graduating from Arizona State Im amazed because of how good he is but Im also not amazed because Ive watched him play so much golf the last four years that Im not shocked at all Martin said Its going to be exciting to see his career unfold Xiong has had quite the golf journey so far He was born in Guam and raised in Southern California He starred at Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore California and on the national junior circuit representing the U S in the Junior Ryder Cup in 2016 He signed with the Ducks in November of 2016 and enrolled early competing for Oregon last spring and playing well enough to not only win the Phil Mickelson Award as the nations top freshman but also secure a spot on the U S Palmer Cup team Last summer Xiong notched his biggest win to date capturing stroke play and match play honors at the Western Amateur a performance that helped him earn a spot on the U S Walker Cup team He went 3 0 1 in September at Los Angeles Country Club I went out there and showed everyone and even myself that I could play that high level Xiong said of his Western Amateur win It set a foundation that I am one of the top amateurs in the world Xiong ranked fifth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking combines a rare mix of eye popping length off the tee and an impressive ability to sink big putts He recently has improved his game from 130 yards in and learned to play a more mature brand of golf as Martin called it When he came in he would go for every pin and quite frankly he could pull it off a lot Martin said But now hes been more willing to lay up or play to the fat side of a green Hes more refined Said Xiong I realized a round is like a marathon and you dont need to be perfect on every shot Its a long race and the one who makes the least amount of mistakes will win Xiong ranked fourth in the country by Golfweek leads the Ducks in scoring average this season at 6878 and has recorded just four of 29 rounds over par He tied for 42nd at Trinity Forest in the fall and has two other finishes outside the top 20 but hes either won or finished second in six of his seven other starts He enters the Pac 12 Championship this month with three consecutive victories He has taken us on his shoulders said Martin whose team is ranked 35th We really havent played exceptional except for him and he has been amazing Martin loves talking about Xiong the golfer just as much as Xiong the person Martin has never heard Xiong use profanity Xiongs teammates say hes never had a sip of alcohol Xiong doesnt brag and is known for his wide smile Hes just an absolute gem of a human Martin said And a pretty good gin rummy player too Xiong calls himself a scratch player at gin but also concedes Gin is a lot of luck like every card game As for Xiongs golf game no luck is needed The skill he possesses is rare And golf fans likely will get to see it in action at the pro level in the near future This article originally appeared in Golfweek Check out more articles at www Golfweek com THATS SOMETHING THAT I LOVE TO HEAR BECAUSE ULTIMATELY I WANT TO DO WHAT TIGER DID GO OUT THERE AND REALLY BE A DOMINANT GOLFER AND CHANGE THE GAME IN SOME WAY DUCKS LINE UP BEHIND XIONG STARS OF TOMORROW R