Staff WriterSampson Zheng, the 23-year-old dynamo from China, has officially punched his golden ticket to The Open Championship—and did it the hard way. Not through whispers and exemptions, but by stepping up in the muck and grit of Final Qualifying, where reputations are built one nervy putt at a time.
His seven-under total at West Lancashire, the result of polished rounds of 68 and 69, earned him runner-up honours and one of just five spots up for grabs in a dogfight of a field.
“I saw my name in second with a few holes to go and got a bit emotional,” Sampson Zheng admitted, still sounding like a man trying to process it all. “But I had to settle myself and focus on finishing strong, making pars and putting myself into good positions.”
It worked. And when the final scores rolled in? “I was just overwhelmed. It was an incredible moment.”
Let’s not sugar-coat this—Sampson Zheng didn’t land here by accident. This is the payoff of a relentless rise that began with a runner-up finish at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and has since been fueled by a gutsy first season in the paid ranks.
He’s teed it up in nine of the ten International Series events this year, including a T4 finish at International Series England, and his progress has been as steady as it has been striking.
But it’s not just scorecards and stats—Zheng credits The International Series itself for shaping his game, especially when the heat is on.
“Playing on The International Series has actually helped me enjoy the crowds rather than feel pressured by them,” he said. “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.”
And let’s not pretend he’s just floating through this wide-eyed. He’s been paying attention. Closely.
“I remember playing with Louis Oosthuizen at International Series Oman last year, and then Thomas Pieters in England,” said Zheng. “Getting to see how those top players carry themselves, how they prepare, how they manage their games—it’s been incredibly valuable.”
It’s also paying dividends on the broader Asian Tour stage. A T2 finish at the Mandiri Indonesia Open last season showed he could hang with the big boys—and perhaps more importantly, stay cool while doing it.
At West Lancashire, Zheng found himself rubbing shoulders with another notable name: Lucas Herbert, fresh off winning International Series Japan. Herbert took the top qualifying spot, but made time for a quick moment with his fellow International Series graduate.
“I actually chatted a bit with Lucas after the round,” Zheng said. “He came over to congratulate me, and I congratulated him too. We’d done media together in Japan and he was super cool. It was great seeing familiar faces out there.”
It wasn’t all celebration and champagne, though. Zheng was one of ten players who had to hot-foot it across continents to make their tee time in Morocco. From the fairways of Lancashire to a 3 a.m. airport dash, his route has been anything but leisurely.
“I finished my round around 7 pm, we had the awards at 9 pm, and I didn’t get to bed until midnight,” he said. “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.”
No complaints. No excuses. Just another gritty round in the bank—this time a bogey-free 70 in Morocco—as Sampson Zheng sharpens the tools for his major championship debut at Royal Portrush later this month.
Don’t be surprised if you see him near the top of the leaderboard again soon. The kid’s got the game, the nerve, and now, the passport stamp that says: Open Championship player.
