Haotong Li played through illness and stayed in the hunt at the Masters on Friday, carding a three-under 69 in the second round at Augusta National after opening with a one-under 71. He was tied for seventh after 36 holes, eight shots behind leader Rory McIlroy.
Li said he had spent much of Thursday night in the toilet and still felt awful when he arrived at the course on Friday morning. He said he had so little energy that he barely touched balls on the driving range and planned to play only a few holes before deciding whether to continue.
Then he found his way through 18 holes better than most of the 90 other players in the field. He birdied the second hole, then dropped shots at the fourth and seventh before steadying himself on the back nine. The turning point came at the par-5 13th, where he avoided Rae's Creek with his second shot and made birdie. He nearly holed out for eagle on the 14th, then pitched to a couple of feet for birdie at the 15th and nearly aced the 16th on the way to another birdie.
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Li described the shot over the creek at 13 as “super tough chip over there,” and later said simply, “Definitely,” when asked whether the round had been a test. By then, the frame was set: he was trying to handle Augusta National's 18 holes while also dealing with an illness that had left him feeling queasy only hours earlier.
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What happens next is whether the feeling that carried him through Friday lasts. Li said he felt better after the round and added, “Major makes me feeling good.” He did not say what caused the illness or whether it would linger, leaving the weekend to answer the rest.
