Rookie continues to close on coveted Korn Ferry spot

Bai Zhengkai is primed to continue his remarkable season on the PGA Tour Series-China at this week's Zhuzhou Classic at Xiangshui Bay Golf Club.

Coming off his runner-up finish last week in Haikou, the 22-year-old from Shantou, Guangdong province, has jumped to sixth place on the order of merit and a strong showing this week could vault him into the top five.

The top five finishers at the end of the season will earn tickets to next year's North America-based Korn Ferry Tour, while those finishing sixth to 10th will bypass the tour's early qualifying events and advance directly to the final stage.

Considering he has played five fewer tournaments than any of the players ranked above him, Bai's progress in his first season on the PGA Tour Series-China marks a major breakthrough. He missed the first few events while attending classes at the University of Central Florida, but is now taking his courses online.

If all goes well, Bai could be a college graduate playing alongside his compatriots and good friends Yuan Yechun and Dou Zecheng on next year's Korn Ferry circuit.

"I know all the Chinese players on the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour; we've all played and trained together in the US so I'm hoping to join them soon," said Bai, who takes lessons with renowned Canadian coach Sean Foley.

"I came to the PGA Tour Series-China to try to get on the Korn Ferry Tour, so I'm really happy with where I am right now. I've made some good scores and had some good results, but I still have a lot of work to do. I need to work harder and play better."

Bai has recorded three top-10 finishes, including a victory at the Huangshan Championship, where he defeated American David Kocher by two strokes to earn his first professional triumph.

With just the Macao Championship (Oct 7-13) and Hong Kong's Clearwater Bay Open (Oct 14-20) remaining after this week, Bai is less than 2,000 yuan ($282) behind France's Cyril Bouniol for fifth place on the order of merit.

"I'm hoping to have another good week. Zhuzhou is a very good course in great condition, and I think I have a good plan for it," said Bai.

"Hopefully I can get off to a good start. From now on, every tournament is very important so I need to have a couple more good ones to get into the top five. It would be nice if this week was one of them."

Meanwhile, Bai plans to wait until after the tournament to sample some of Hunan's famous spicy food.

"I'm from Guangdong and we don't eat much spicy food there. Out here, the food is a little bit too spicy for me, so I probably will wait until after the tournament to try it," he said.

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn