Haotong Li leaps past Joaquin Niemann, 33 others post big Open Championship finish

Haotong Li made a huge jump in the Official World Golf Ranking after his top 10 finish at the Open Championship 2025. The Chinese golfer was in contention for the title as he settled in second place after the 54-hole game.

However, he carded a round of 70 on Sunday and slipped down two spots on the leaderboard to settle in a tie for fourth place, recording his second top 10 finish in the majors. With that, he jumped from 111 to 77 in the OWGR, surpassing Joaquin Niemann and 33 others on the list.

The Chilean golfer also played at the Open but had a tough time and missed the cut after two rounds. He was ranked 90th ahead of the Major but then slipped down five spots with his disappointing outing.

Meanwhile, Haotong Li entered the top 100 for the first time this season after the Open. At the start of the year, he was ranked 310th, and then after he won the 2025 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, he jumped to 154th place. His best ranking, however, is 32nd, which he achieved in 2018.

Scottie Scheffler won the Open 2025 and is currently ranked number one in the OWGR. He was followed by Rory McIlroy in second place and then Xander Schauffele in third.

Here is the list of the top 20 players in the OWGR after The Open 2025:

• 1. Scottie Scheffler
• 2. Rory McIlroy
• 3. Xander Schauffele
• 4. Justin Thomas
• 5. Russell Henley
• 6. Collin Morikawa
• 7. Keegan Bradley
• 8. Harris English
• 9. J.J. Spaun
• 10. Sepp Straka
• 11. Ludvig Aberg
• 12. Viktor Hovland
• 13. Hideki Matsuyama
• 14. Robert MacIntyre
• 15. Tommy Fleetwood
• 16. Bryson DeChambeau
• 17. Ben Griffin
• 18. Maverick McNealy
• 19. Shane Lowry
• 20. Justin Rose

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Haotong Li congratulates Scottie Scheffler on winning The Open

Haotong Li was paired for the final round of the Open with Scottie Scheffler on Sunday, July 20. He shared a few pictures of his major outing on his Instagram account and congratulated the World No. 1 for his fourth Major win.

Li wrote in the caption:

"Final group on Sunday is something else. Congrats to Scottie for a well-deserved victory. Thank you #TheOpen - truly a week to remember and cherish, and the start of a new journey!"

Justin Thomas reacted to the post, talking about a hilarious selfie of the Chinese golfer included in the post in its last slide. Thomas wrote:

"I’m just glad you added the selfie. Well played bro."

Justin Thomas reacted to Haotong Li's post/@haotong66

At the Open Championship, Haotong Li started the campaign with two back-to-back rounds of 67 and then carded 69 on Saturday. He played the final of 70 to settle at 11-under.

It was his second outing on the PGA Tour. He previously played at the Genesis Scottish Open but struggled with his game and missed the cut after two rounds of 74 and 71.

Edited by Mitali