Lack Of Sleep Proves No Problem For Asian Tour Talent As He Makes Strong Start To International Series Morocco Following First Open Qualification

On Tuesday, China's Sampson Zheng finished second at one of four sites for Open Championship Final Qualifying to book his maiden Major appearance in the diary later this month.

The Asian Tour player, who only turned pro midway through last season, posted a seven-under total across 36 holes at West Lancashire Golf Club - one stroke behind LIV's Lucas Herbert - to earn a tee time at The Open between July 17-20.

Speaking to the Asian Tour, Zheng revealed how the gravity of the situation in north-west England began to hit him before he had completed his second round - later expressing how much the achievement meant to him.

The 23-year-old said: “It was surreal. I saw my name in second with a few holes to go and got a bit emotional, but I had to settle myself and focus on finishing strong, making pars and putting myself into good positions.

"Once the final scores came through and I found out I’d made it, I was just overwhelmed. It was an incredible moment.”

Despite enjoying one of the best days of his career to date, the Chinese player was barely able to celebrate prior to heading over to Morocco for the Asian Tour's International Series event at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam's Red Course.

Zheng shared that, partly due to the formalities after Final Qualifying had ended, he was only afforded a few hours sleep before joining a group of other Asian Tour contenders on a flight to north-west Africa.

Discussing his truncated preparation for the International Series Morocco, Zheng said: “It has been a bit of a grind. I finished my [second Final Qualifying] round at around 7pm, we had the awards at 9pm, and I didn’t get to bed until midnight. Then I was up at 3am to catch my flight.

"I probably got about two and a half hours of sleep and only managed a short nap on the plane. I’m still adjusting, but I think I’ll be okay.”

It turned out that Zheng would indeed be okay as he turned in a three-under-par score of 70 during round one in Morocco to leave him inside the top-10 on the leaderboard.

That was followed up with a level-par score on Friday to comfortably make the cut and sustain his title challenge.

But, looking forward to The Open at Royal Portrush, Zheng's first Major appearance will mark easily the biggest event he has ever appeared at across just a year's experience in the paid ranks.

However, having competed in more than 10 International Series competitions throughout his time on the Asian Tour, Zheng is confident he won't be negatively affected by the hundreds of thousands expected in Northern Ireland throughout the week.

Crediting the Asian Tour's elevated events in allowing him to feel more comfortable in front of larger crowds, Zheng said: “Playing on The International Series has actually helped me enjoy the crowds rather than feel pressured by them.

“There have been events where we had a lot of fans, and that experience really helped at Final Qualifying. On links courses especially, it’s so different, the fans aren’t behind ropes, they’re walking right next to you, sometimes just a few feet away. It creates a really cool atmosphere, and I’ve learned to feed off that energy instead of letting it distract me.

“I remember playing with Louis Oosthuizen at International Series Oman last year, and then Thomas Pieters in England. Getting to see how those top players carry themselves, how they prepare, how they manage their games, it’s been incredibly valuable. Those experiences have really shaped how I approach tournaments now.”