Wednesday this week is a big day for Sampson Zheng. He turns 24. However, the talented Japan-based Chinese star is hoping Sunday is even more special. Story by Joy Chakravarty, Asian Tour contributor, in Portrush.

Zheng, currently ranked 26th in the Asian Tour Order of Merit and a regular contender since turning pro at the start of last year, is making his major championship debut at the 153rd Open – which starts Thursday at the stunning Royal Portrush Golf Club.

He secured his place among the world’s finest by finishing second in the Final Qualifying event at West Lancashire with rounds of 68 and 69, two weeks ago.

“I am very excited. This is what I have dreamed of doing all my life. This is what I look forward to, and this is why I play golf,” said Zheng, one of seven Asian Tour members competing this week.

“Whenever I play events, it’s always about preparation and just giving myself the best chance to win. This week is no different, even though it’s my first major. I don’t want to sound arrogant, and I don’t want to say I can win, but I’m doing everything I can to get myself up there on the leaderboard. And whatever happens, I am not too worried about the result, but just the process.”

As part of his preparation, Zheng arrived early at Portrush and has a few practice rounds under his belt already. More importantly, he has also experienced the wind switch on the golf course, playing the HS Colt-redesigned gem in two very different conditions.

“After the International Series Morocco, I came here on Wednesday and probably played the course three times now. The rough is very penalising. Some areas of the course are very slopey, and even if you hit the fairway, you could end up with a rough ball, maybe in the fescue. Wind is obviously going to play a really big factor. But the course is designed in a way that if you position yourself right, there will be plenty of opportunities,” said Zheng, who finished tied 10th in Morocco at the start of the month.

“Depending on the pin or the wind, it’s going to change very dramatically. Easy holes could turn into very tough holes, and vice versa.

“Luckily, I have now played the course in different winds, which is very good practice. For example, take the par-five seventh. The first time I played it, it was driver, hybrid and a wedge to reach the green. Yesterday, I was actually able to reach it in two.”

The current season hasn’t been spectacular so far for Zheng, and Morocco was his best finish. That came about after switching to a new model of putter, which has helped him hole a few more.

“I had been struggling with my putting recently. A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Scottie Cameron workshop in California and got myself a new mallet putter, which I put straight into my bag before the Open qualifier. Found some magic in the qualifier and kind of carried it into Morocco as well. I’m hoping that keeps on,” said Zheng.

“I’d say I felt pretty comfortable on the course here. Speed control is key on a course like this, where the greens are much slower, and the new putter has been tremendous.”

Zheng came within a whisker of playing the 152nd Open when Australian Jasper Stubbs denied him a win at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in a play-off at the legendary Royal Melbourne Golf Club. A win would have earned him an invitation to the Masters as well.

As disappointing as that result was, it included an unforgettable third-round six-under par 65 when brutal winds and cement-like greens turned the Alister MacKenzie-designed course into a monster.

That preposterous Saturday round Down Under continues to augment Zheng’s immense self-belief. Also, for someone who does not have a lot of links golf experience, he also felt the conditions at Royal Melbourne were fantastic prep.

“I was really, really bummed that week at the AAC, but thankfully, everything worked out. I kind of used that as a fuel and played good after that. That tournament is part of the reason why I got here today as a pro. Things happen for a reason, but it always works out in the end, if you just keep knocking on the door,” said Zheng, whose career best finish on the Asian Tour is a tied second at the 2024 Mandiri Indonesia Open.

“That round is still very special to me. I navigated a very tough course, with high winds, pretty much perfectly. The conditions are pretty similar here in many ways. It will be windy, of course. The greens will not be as fast, but the pins will probably be around the same toughness as well. They really toughen it up for us at the AAC. So, definitely a lot of confidence, thinking back about that day.

“I haven’t played real links courses in this area of the world much, but playing Royal Melbourne was probably very close. The fairways were firm, and the wind was up when we played the AAC. So, I can hopefully bring my learnings from there to The Open.”

And then there is the matter of his birthday. With every member of his family – father, mum, and his younger sister, who is studying at the renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston – with him, it would have been a nice celebration. But these are unusual times.

“My birthday is always around the tournament. It’s very, very cool. I’d watch The Open growing up and think that the nicest birthday present would be to be playing the tournament,” added Zheng, a standout performer for the University of California in his US college days.

“The celebration will be after the event. If it was on a Monday or Tuesday, we would have gone out and have dinner, but Wednesday is cutting it too close. My entire family is going to be here, and just playing this week is going to be fun for me anyway. We will save the celebration for Sunday.”

Pictures: Sampson Zheng during Final Qualifying. Courtesy Getty Images.