Zeng Liqi wins her second straight China LPGA Tour title in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province on December 9, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of the CGA

Zeng Liqi captured her second straight China LPGA Tour title on Friday as the Chinese teenager won the CGA Ladies Championship by two strokes in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province. 

After starting the day five shots off the lead at Orient (Xiamen) Golf and Country Club, the 16-year-old rookie pro, winner of November's Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge in November, closed with a seven-under 65 for a 54-hole score of 11-under 205 to claim the 75,000 yuan ($10,779) winner's prize. 

Overnight leader Liu Yan could only muster a final round of even-par 72 to finish runner-up, with two strokes ahead of amateur Zhang Yahui (71).  

Zeng, who started with three straight birdies, before picking up four more shots on the back nine in her bogey-free round, said she felt no pressure going into the third round. 

"There is rarely a game that makes me feel like I have nothing to do with the champion before I tee off. After all, five strokes behind, the leader is the powerful player Liu Yan. But my caddie said 'It doesn't matter, hit every shot'. In fact, that's what I did," said the Nanchang native who moved to the top of the CLPGA Tour Order of Merit with the win.  

Zeng, who is 397th in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, also picked up six world ranking points for the win.  

"In the first victory, I proved that I am not going to always stay in second, I can also win. The second victory tells me that I can also play a great round when I am behind by a big score. This week has been a very good experience for me and a test of my training results." 

For Liu, the 2019 Hong Kong Ladies Open champion who was playing at home for the first time in two years, the Xiamen native had to settle for the team prize. Guangfu, comprised of Liu, Ren Yue (69) and Chen Yuying (77), won the team competition by three strokes with a score of 418. For the first time, the 500,000 yuan tournament featured a team element where groups of two or three professionals could form a "team" with the best two results counting.  

In February, Liu won her first event stateside when she captured the Redtail Women's Championship on the East Coast Women's Pro Golf Tour. 

"During my two years abroad, I have gotten used to using rangefinders and I am no longer familiar with the use of yardage books. I frequently miscalculated yardage. It was a great pity to miss out on the championship as I have already had three runner-ups in this field," Liu said. 

The 23-year-old Liu added she took great pride in leading her Guangfu team to the team title and had nothing but praise for Ren, who had also recently returned home from overseas competitions, and the Xiamen-based Chen. 

"I am very happy to win the team championship. The new generation of domestic golfers is very good. They are the hope of Chinese golf," she said.