Oregon grad Norman Xiong shatters Wichita Open golf tournament scoring record in win
A week ago, Norman Xiong was living the life of a Monday qualifier in the lower ranks of professional golf’s smaller circuits.
He didn’t have status on any PGA Tour circuit when he snagged one of four qualifying spots to the Wichita Open up for grabs a week ago Monday at Auburn Hills. But after a week in Wichita, his career and status have changed.
Xiong shattered the Wichita Open’s scoring record with a 26-under total of 254 strokes Sunday at Crestview Country Club, which was five strokes ahead of Kevin Roy, who settled for second place even though he tied the previous tournament record scoring record of 259. Xiong’s score was the second-lowest 72-hole score in Korn Ferry Tour history, even with a double-bogey on No. 18.
He became the 25th Monday qualifier to win in Korn Ferry Tour history and the third to claim the Wichita Open propeller, joining Ben Crane (2000) and Sebastian Cappelen (2014). The victory also earned Xiong full-time status on the Korn Ferry Tour for the rest of the season.
“I really don’t know how I’m feeling just because I didn’t really expect to be here,” Xiong told reporters afterward. “I just knew I couldn’t really let up today. I think that just shows how tough it is out here, and I think you can only recognize how much of a battle it is for all these players out here. It’s a really tough sport.”
The 23-year-old took command of the tournament with Friday’s 9-under round of 61, which was a career-best score and tied the course record to give him a 1-shot lead entering the weekend. A 6-under round of 64 allowed him to maintain a 1-shot lead over the field entering Sunday, then a 7-under round of 63 helped earn him the victory.
“I just tried my best to get there and fell short on the last hole, kind of choked it, but got the win,” Xiong said. “A lot of things just went my way. I got a lot of good breaks, a lot of putts dropped. It’s kind of what it takes out here to win, to have it be your week and have everything go your way.”
Xiong was a former star at the University of Oregon, where he was the 2017 NCAA Freshman of the Year and also played on the 2017 Walker Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup teams, where he competed along the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris and Collin Morikawa. The next season, Xiong won six times individually to claim two National Player of the Year honors.
After turning pro in 2018, Xiong missed the cut in 15 of his first 21 starts as a rookie on the Korn Ferry Tour and he eventually spiraled out of tour. Since then, Xiong made seven PGA Tour-sanctioned starts and qualified into a pair of PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour events, missing the cut in all four starts. He briefly held status on PGA Tour Canada, where he recorded three top-10 finishes last year.
“I guess this concludes Chapter 1,” Xiong said following his win Sunday. “I feel so much different than I did when I was out here last year, a few years ago.”
This story was originally published June 20, 2022 at 12:22 PM.
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