On Thursday, Li Haotong makes his debut at the Masters as the highest-ranked Chinese male golfer ever at No. 42 in the world, and it’s something even he’s only just coming to terms with.

“I mean it’s unreal, a dream come true,” he told CGTN. “So far, so good.”

At the young age of 22, Haotong is already the most accomplished male Chinese golfer of all time, making waves in a sport that has had a turbulent relationship with China ever since it was banned in 1949 as being considered too bourgeois. Although the ban was lifted in the mid-80s, the sport has never fully recovered.

Last summer, Haotong started to change this image after setting a historical mark at the British Open with a final-round 63 to finish third behind champion Jordan Spieth and runner-up Matt Kuchar – the best ever by a Chinese golfer. The late heroics earned him a coveted place at the Masters.

Earlier this year, he went head-to-head with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy in the final two rounds of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. After making seven birdies in his final 11 holes, including the final two, Haotong edged McIlroy by one shot. The rising star became the first player from China to move inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking with the victory, his second on the European Tour.

“I’m feeling really good and it gave me a lot of confidence, especially against a Rory kind of guy,” he added.

In winning his sixth title as a professional at Dubai, Haotong shot 23 under to set a new tournament record – a score that will no doubt stand him in good stead against the more experienced players as he looks set to garner a lot of headlines going into the first major of the year.

“I think it’s another step because the way I practice I knew I would break top 50 for sure and now I just need to keep doing what I’m doing,” the golfer said. “I just need to make the cut first and you never know what’s going to happen on the weekend.”

This new-found attention on China’s rising golf professionals is a novelty for the country, which despite a population of 1.4 billion has never particularly taken to the sport. Although there was a course construction boom in the early 2000s, that has since stalled in recent years amid China's crackdown on corruption. Since 2011, the government has outlawed more than 100 golf courses around the country, citing illegal land and water use, according to state media Xinhua, with fewer than 500 courses remaining in the country. 

However, with the likes of Li Haotong and No. 1 Chinese female golfer Feng Shanshan ingraining themselves in the upper echelon of the game, golf executives are hopeful to see growth in a country that has vast potential.

Ty Votaw, the PGA Tour’s executive vice president of international business, told CGTN Digital: “The more success that Haotong has and the more success that other Chinese players have will hopefully create a greater fan following and greater interest in not only following the sport but also playing the game.”

Ben Cowen, director of International Policy, European Tour, who also spoke to CGTN Digital, agreed: “The meteoric rise of Li Haotong in world golf will only help continue to grow the profile of our sport in China. When he makes his debut at the Masters Tournament, it could well be a story that inspires the next generation of golfers in China.”

The Li Haotong effect can already be seen within the aspiring top-level Asian professionals, following in his footsteps with success from the PGA Tour China Series to the Web.com Tour. You've got Marty Dou, 19, and Xinjun Zhang – two players from China who are now, for the first time, qualified to play on the PGA Tour.  

Last week, 30-year-old Zhang impressed with a fifth-place finish at a PGA Tour event, the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship, and has since been in the top 125 FedEx Cup points standings. Meanwhile, Dou had a historic week in July with a victory at the Digital Ally Open, becoming the first Chinese player to win on the Web.com Tour.

“He has inspired younger players to not only play golf, but also to try to get to the highest levels of golf and that’s the PGA Tour,” Votaw added.

This year’s Masters looks set to attract another generation of fans not only from China but also globally as four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods, arguably the most famous professional golfer of all time, returns to the legendary Augusta National. The sporting world will be watching in anticipation as it seems this year will witness young professionals verses the experienced, with Phil Mickelson recently winning in Mexico and Bubba Watson victorious at last week’s WGC Match Play Championship.

“Young players have emerged over the years in Tigers absence, like Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Haotong Li for that matter,” Votaw said. “Now he is present, I think there is an enormous amount of interest in seeing how Tiger plays against them and how these young players respond.”

During the Dubai Classic, Haotong carded 30 birdies to surpass the previous record of 27 set by Tiger in 2001, demonstrating that he has the capability to play at the highest level of golf. Although it may be a bit premature to dub him the "Chinese Tiger Woods," he certainly could be the next player to make radical waves in the development of golf on a global scale, reinvigorating the sport in China and transforming its image rooted in politics.

“Li’s great success on the international stage illustrates his status as one of the top players not only from Asia, but in the world,” Asian tour CEO, Josh Burack, told CGTN Digital.

One thing is for certain, with China aiming to be a football superpower by 2050 and heavily investing in the sports sector in the buildup to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the golfing world does not want to miss out on the current industry boom. Could Li Haotong’s increasing success and popularity be the answer?