Norman Xiong finding success at Sanderson Farms Championship

JACKSON, Miss. – The transition to pro golf can be a tough one, even for a player whose physical talents have drawn comparisons to Tiger Woods.

Sub-par scores are enough to succeed in college golf. They can lead to missed cuts at the highest level, where the talent pool just continues to get deeper. Players who were unbeatable against their peers now experience losing to men who are old enough to be their father.

Norman Xiong learned that after turning pro this summer. College golf's consensus player of the year arrived at this week’s Sanderson Farms Championship, where he’s playing on a sponsor exemption, after missing the cut in all six of his pro starts.

“When I turned pro, it was a little bit overwhelming, I guess,” Xiong said. “I think I’ve done a really good job of learning and getting used to it.”

He didn’t just make his first cut this week. He is the Sanderson Farms' 36-hole co-leader after shooting 68-67 at the Country Club of Jackson. Xiong will play alongside Cameron Champ, his teammate on last year's Walker Cup team, in the final threesome.

Xiong, 19, is leading a PGA TOUR event while his high-school classmates are early in their sophomore year of college. He could become the first teenager to win on TOUR since Jordan Spieth at the 2013 John Deere Classic. Spieth was the youngest winner since Ralph Guldahl in 1931.

A newfound strength – his short game – has carried Xiong over two rounds played in cold, windy conditions at this century-old layout.

Like many of his peers, Xiong plays aggressively off the tee, opting for driver despite the Country Club of Jackson’s penal Bermuda rough. Xiong has hit less than half his fairways but his length has allowed him to take advantage of the par-5s. He’s played those holes in 6 under par, including an eagle on Friday’s second hole.

The 55-footer he holed from the fringe was one of three hole-outs for Xiong on Friday. He also saved par all seven times he missed a green in the second round.

Xiong has hit just 11 greens each day but is 13 for 14 in scrambling. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green.

He chipped in on No. 16 and holed a 25-footer from the fringe on the sixth hole. On Thursday, Xiong holed a 56-foot birdie putt.

"They really kind of take off the pressure on a day like this when it's windy and the pins are not as accessible," Xiong said.

His short game used to be a weakness, but it has improved since employing coach Josh Gregory after turning pro. Bermudagrass poses unique challenges, especially to those who grew up outside the Southeast.

Gregory has helped Xiong, who grew up in Southern California before attending the University of Oregon, change his clubhead path on chip shots. Xiong’s club was closed and traveling to the left through impact. Now he feels like he’s drawing his chip shots.

A strong short game is a helpful addition to an impressive repertoire of physical skills. Oregon head coach Casey Martin, who played alongside Woods at Stanford, said earlier this year that, “Tiger is the only guy I would defer to as being better than Norman" at 19 years old.

Martin saw his former star last month, when Xiong joined the Ducks for a three-day retreat to central Oregon. Xiong didn't display any anxiety about the tough start to his pro career.

“He was just one of the guys, not worried about a thing. He doesn’t panic,” Martin said. “He knows he’s good enough. He knows he’ll get his shot.”

Xiong won both the Jack Nicklaus and Fred Haskins awards, which are given to the top player in college golf, this year. He won six times in his sophomore season, including four of his final six starts.

Xiong already is ahead of the curve. He came to Oregon a semester early, halfway through his senior year of high school, and immediately entered the Ducks’ lineup.

He was the national freshman of the year in just half a season. He entered the lineup immediately and won in his third start.

Amateur accomplishments can help secure big endorsement deals and sponsor exemptions, but those distractions also can make the transition tougher. There are media obligations and photo shoots, pre-tournament interviews and television cameras. Those responsibilities quiet down as the days pass, making it easier to focus on golf.

A former college teammate, Nigel Lett, is caddying for Xiong for the first time this week. That helps the PGA TOUR feel more familiar, as well.

“Norman is a peaceful guy. He doesn’t like a lot of the hype, the noise,” Martin said.

After turning pro, Xiong was under par in his first four stroke-play starts on the PGA TOUR. He received nothing for his efforts, missing the cut all four times. He also missed the cut in the Barracuda Championship, which uses a Stableford format, and the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links.

“It was very frustrating,” he said. “I felt as though my whole game was really solid.”

He saw his first success last month at the first stage of Web.com Tour Q-School, shooting 16 under par to share medalist honors. He is scheduled to play the second stage next week in California but can change his site if he qualifies for next week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open with a top-10 finish.

A win would allow him to scrap the whole Q-School quest.

Xiong seems destined to hold a PGA TOUR card. He could have one sooner than later.