The numbers of Yanhan Zhou are out of this world. We remember them. To his eleven victories on the China Tour between 2022 and 2025 you must now add a third place at the Hainan Classic and the lead at the Volvo China Open after the opening round five days ago. He has already received invitations to play on the PGA Tour and this week he is competing in Turkey and next week in Barcelona. That is, we will be able to see him in Spain. Great incentive
En Ten Golf, to whet your appetite, this time we wanted to go a little beyond the numbers, we look to the feel, we probe the wisdom of the expert eye. We have sought the opinion of one of those who knows most about this. It is David Morago, caddie of Nacho Elvira and a man for everything or almost everything in modern golf. There are many on the tour who ask him something technical, physical or mental every week. With each passing day the label of guru suits him better. As if that were not enough, at the Volvo China Open he shared the first two rounds with Zhou. He saw him first-hand. He does not rely on hearsay. This is what his instinct tells him
“The summary is simple: el pollo plays golf like God”, he says with his usual sense of humour shortly before getting down to business. Without doubt, what draws most attention in his game is the distance. Morago confirms it. “He hits it very long, I think he generates about 188-190 mph ball speed with the driver”, he insists. To give you an idea, Bryson DeChambeau, obsessed with always breaking 200 mph, averages around 190. A good yardstick
Digging into the technical scalpel, David says “for me, he compresses the ball very well, he has very good impact and it goes very straight”, he describes. That said, he does not hesitate to point out a small deficit in his game, somewhere where he still has a bit of room for improvement. “The only thing I do see that he can improve is that he goes a little too vertical with everything. So, when chipping and pitching to the edge, well, I don’t know, for example from 30-40 metres, he gets the ball out very low. More than strong, I’d say lowish. He doesn’t have a slow, high ball, at least from what I’ve seen in two days, which is not definitive either”
This particular swing, which helps him hit it a long way, also produces some inconsistencies. Morago explains it like this: “It also depends a bit on being in a good rhythm, because by moving the club so fast and a bit so vertically, sometimes he misses some shots a little to the right, blocked”
Be that as it may, Zhou has everything to be an important player in the coming years. “He’s a very complete player, he has very good things. He chips well around the green, although it’s also true that we saw him the day he went nine under and the following day he went two under and he was flawless. But yes, for me he has a very good trait, which is that he hits very hard and straight, which already puts you far ahead. And then he’s complete in every aspect”
David assures that he also conveys a very good feeling on the greens. “As for putting I’d say the ball rolls well. I mean, it’s not something you say: ‘it’s one of those days, today everything has gone in’. No, the ball rolls well. Then they’ll go in or not”
He also doesn’t have many complaints about his attitude. After seeing him live, competing at home, with the pressure that entails, Morago states that “you can tell his background. He’s Chinese, he’s got grit, he pumps his fists, but at the same time he’s a guy with an Asian mentality. Very good head”
His assessment is very clear. “Very complete. A player very complete with everything. The only thing I did see that could improve was a bit, well, from 30 metres and in, sometimes he hits one a little too quickly, low. But it’s because of how he does the swing. Even so, he looks quite promising”
Some have already labelled him the Chinese Tiger Woods. That’s big talk, but he is certainly someone who impresses at first sight. Let’s not forget he has just turned 18. Will Zhou be the first major winner born in the 21st century? We’ll see, for the moment it seems far off, but at the speed this youngster is going who knows…
