Norman Xiong

Norman Xiong
Personal information
NicknameThe Panda[1]
Born (1998-11-09) November 9, 1998 (age 26)
Guam
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Career
CollegeUniversity of Oregon
Turned professional2018
Current tour(s)PGA Tour
Former tour(s)Korn Ferry Tour
Professional wins2
Number of wins by tour
Korn Ferry Tour2
Achievements and awards
Haskins Award2018

Norman Xiong (born November 9, 1998) is an American professional golfer.

Early life

Xiong was born in Guam to Hmong parents. He moved to San Diego, California when he was six with his mother, Jing, and uncle, James Xiong.[2] He participated in the Pro Kids | First Tee Program in San Diego. His uncle served as his golf coach from an early age.

Amateur career

Xiong attended Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore, California. While in high school he won the Junior world championship, the Junior PGA Championship, was a first-team American Junior Golf Association All-American, and was the top junior golf prospect in California.[3]

He left high school early to attend Oregon beginning in January 2017. In his first semester he won the Phil Mickelson Award as the nation's top freshman.[4] Xiong won the Western Amateur in August by defeating Doc Redman, who would win the U.S. Amateur, after 22 holes.[5]

At the 2017 U.S. Amateur, Xiong finished second in qualifying after shooting a round of 64, but was defeated in the opening round of match-play.[6] He was selected for the American team at the 2017 Walker Cup, compiling a record of 3–0–1 as the Americans won the cup.[7]

In 2018 he won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the Division I men's golfer of the year.[8] He also received the Haskins Award as the most outstanding collegiate golfer.[9]

Xiong's amateur success led his coach at Oregon, Casey Martin, to compare him to Tiger Woods at the same age.[10]

Professional career

Xiong announced he was turning professional in May 2018.[11] He made his professional debut at U.S. Open sectional qualifying on June 4.

On December 9, Xiong finished second in Korn Ferry Tour qualifying to earn his card for 2019.[12] He made just five cuts in 21 events in his rookie season and lost his KFT status after shooting 81 in the first round of Q-School.[13]

In July 2021, Xiong was a Monday qualifier for the 3M Open, his first start on the PGA Tour in more than two years.[14]

In June 2022, Xiong won the Korn Ferry Tour's Wichita Open after Monday qualifying, giving him full status on that tour.[15] A win the following year at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship ensured he would earn a PGA Tour card for the 2024 season.[16]

Amateur wins

  • 2014 Sunriver Junior Open, Junior All-Star Invitational
  • 2016 Thunderbird International Junior, Junior PGA Championship, Sunriver Junior Open
  • 2017 Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate, Western Amateur, Rod Myers Invitational, Nike Collegiate Invite
  • 2018 The Goodwin, Oregon Duck Invitational, Annual Western Intercollegiate, NCAA Pacific Regional

Source:[17]

Professional wins (2)

Korn Ferry Tour wins (2)

Legend
Finals events (1)
Other Korn Ferry Tour (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Jun 19, 2022 Wichita Open −26 (66-61-64-63=254) 5 strokes United States Kevin Roy
2 Sep 24, 2023 Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship −10 (69-67-71-67=274) 4 strokes United States Joe Highsmith, Australia Curtis Luck,
United States Chris Petefish

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

See also

References

  1. ^ Korn Ferry Tour [@KornFerryTour] (September 24, 2023). "The Panda is back and heading to the PGA Tour" (Tweet). Retrieved September 25, 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Leonard, Tod (September 5, 2017). "Pro Kids golf product Xiong readies for big stage in Walker Cup". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  3. ^ Lavner, Ryan (April 24, 2018). "The next big thing: Xiong 'wasn't born to be ordinary'". Golf Channel. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  4. ^ "Norman Xiong profile". Oregon Ducks. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  5. ^ Casey, Kevin (August 5, 2017). "Norman Xiong wins Western Amateur in playoff after blowing 4-up lead". Golfweek. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  6. ^ "Xiong, Yi knocked out of USGA Amateur". The Register-Guard. August 17, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  7. ^ "Meet the USA Walker Cup Team". USGA. August 21, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  8. ^ Gold, Jason (May 31, 2018). "Norman Xiong wins Jack Nicklaus Award as top NCAA golfer of the year". Oregon Diehards. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "Oregon's Xiong wins Haskins Award". Golf Channel. June 6, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  10. ^ Romine, Brentley (April 15, 2018). "Oregon coach: Norman Xiong best player he's seen since Tiger Woods". Golfweek. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  11. ^ Herrington, Ryan (May 30, 2018). "U.S. Amateur champion Doc Redman and Western Amateur champ Norman Xiong announce plans to turn pro". Golf Digest. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  12. ^ Casey, Kevin (December 9, 2018). "Walker medalist at Web.com Tour Q-School, Xiong among notables to earn status". Golfweek. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  13. ^ Johnson, Jon (November 5, 2019). "Former college star Norman Xiong struggles at Highland Oaks in Korn Ferry Tour Q-School opening round". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  14. ^ Romine, Brentley (July 19, 2021). "Norman Xiong qualifies for 3M Open, first PGA Tour start in more than two years". Golf Channel. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  15. ^ Dirlam, Zach (June 19, 2022). "Open qualifier Norman Xiong wins Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics, earns Korn Ferry Tour membership with runaway victory". PGA Tour. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  16. ^ Dirlam, Zach (September 24, 2023). "Norman Xiong earns first PGA Tour card with runaway victory at Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship". PGA Tour. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  17. ^ "Norman Xiong". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved June 27, 2018.