Wenyi Ding has officially turned pro.
That has been the plan all along, but it became reality Wednesday morning, as the 19-year-old star from China turned professional, earning his DP World Tour card for the 2025 season thanks to his standing in the Global Amateur Pathway ranking.
The DP World Tour, PGA Tour and the R&A launched GAP to provide direct access to professional golf for the world’s best non-collegiate amateurs. Ding, who left Arizona State this fall after only one semester with the team, won the Asia-Pacific Amateur two weeks ago, but is passing up on the major championship exemptions to immediately join the professional ranks.
“I’m excited to start my journey as a professional and look forward to teeing it up on the DP World Tour next season,” Ding said in a release. “The Global Amateur Pathway has given me an incredible opportunity, and my thanks go to the DP World Tour, the R&A and the PGA Tour for supporting me and my fellow amateur players to reach their goals.”
Ding, who turns 20 next month, will make his pro debut this week in his home country on the Challenge Tour’s Hangzhou Open in Hangzhou, China. His DP World Tour debut is expected in Australia in late November.
Ding wasn’t the only amateur to benefit from the GAP. Also earning European Challenge Tour exemptions were Jacob Skov Olesen, Luis Masaveu and Bastian Amat. Meanwhile, Peter Fountain, Jake Hall, Nathan Petronzio, and Ben Warian earned PGA Tour Americas membership for the 2025 Latin America swing.
“The Global Amateur Pathway is a key component of the pathways system we’ve developed on the DP World Tour, in collaboration with our partners at The R&A and PGA Tour,” Guy Kinnings, the DP World Tour’s chief executive, said. “It brings together the best global talent and provides them with a worldwide platform to showcase their abilities. Congratulations to Wenyi Ding on becoming the inaugural winner, setting a high standard for future stars to follow, and we look forward to welcoming him to the DP World Tour next season.”
As for Ding, he’s looking forward to his professional journey, which begins close to home Thursday.
“I’m excited for the tournament, but for me I feel normal and just want to play well,” he said.
