Until recently, Ding was a star first-year college golfer at Arizona State. But he looked every bit the professional while shooting four 67s on a difficult, narrow and tree-lined course at the foothills of Mount Fuji.

Ding’s Asia-Pacific victory came with a twist. Given the event is run jointly by Augusta National and the R&A, the winner is offered starts in the following year’s Masters and Open Championship. However, he must remain an amateur through April, for the Masters, and July, for the Open, in order to use exemptions.

But the Shanghai native Ding announced weeks before the Asia-Pacific that he was going to turn pro soon after Japan—regardless of the outcome. He had a more time-sensitive decision to make: Ding is in line for a DP World Tour card via the new Global Amateur Pathway. It’s a stepping stone to the European circuit, and the equivalent of the PGA Tour University program, that was created four months ago. The inaugural card is offered to the best eligible non-collegiate male amateur within the top 20 of the WAGR.

The criteria, though, mandated pathway hopefuls be “at least 20” (Ding reaches that age next month) and not be a current NCAA Division-I player in the US college system. That why Ding, who had enjoyed a stellar debut for the Sun Devils last season with four top-five finishes in eight tournaments including a record-setting win at the Amer Ari Invitational in just his second event, did not return to the Arizona desert this season. He leads the Pathway rankings over Jacob Skov Olesen. The WAGR points from his win in Japan likely cemented his Pathway status and Ding knew it. “It meant a lot,” Ding said. “If I played bad, I probably would lose my card from the DP World Tour. It was a lot of pressure.”

China’s Wenyi Ding lifts the flag of the 2025 Masters and The 153rd Open Championship after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur. David Paul Morris

He plans on turning pro imminently, knowing he’ll have to forfeit the Masters and Open invites. “It’s hard [but] I think more likely I should take a [tour] card; maybe next week [I’ll turn pro],” Ding said.

The 2022 US Junior Amateur champion, Ding said he would have no regrets. He’s also not the first amateur to skip major exemptions to join the paid ranks. South Africa’s Christo Lamprecht, a former Georgia Tech star and world No. 1 amateur, won the British Amateur in 2023. After taking up his 2024 Masters invitation, the 6-foot-8 golfer turned pro in May and waived a US Open exemption.

Ding is looking at it differently. He feels his four Asia-Pacific starts since he debuted aged 15 in 2019 have helped him learn how to handle pressure.

“I’ll tell you a story, the first time I played in Shanghai [in 2019], I was seven over for nine holes, so I was really nervous and couldn’t control myself,” he said. “Second time, I played in Thailand [in 2022]. I was only two strokes behind the leader after three rounds. In Melbourne, I got into the playoff, and this year, I won. Every year, I improved a little and try to be a stronger player.”

After four years of trying, Ding finally claimed the title in a championship that has special meaning to him. David Paul Morris

The question is, can Ding follow in the footsteps of three-time DP World Tour winner and countryman Haotong Li? Li, a talented and and mercurial player, has played in two Masters and contended in an Open Championship. “[My idol is] Haotong; he was top three in the Open [in 2017]. He’s a really good player and brother [to me]. I don’t believe a Chinese player can’t do something. I believe we can do [anything].”

The Pathway rankings window concludes next weekend and the Pathway winner is eligible to take up his DP World Tour card in late November, when the circuit begins its 2025 season in Australia. The Australian PGA and Australian Open are both co-sanctioned events.

One day, though, Ding dreams of teeing up at Augusta National and the Open. “This was my last one amateur [event] and I won it,” Ding said. “It should give me a lot of confidence. I actually played in some DP World Tour events this year, I made some cuts. I know I can do better trying to learn how to be a pro.

“I still want to play the Masters and Open, if I can. I’ll try to make it later on.”