Yi Cao

JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR China: 2014

PGA Tour China Series Victories (1)

• 2018 Chongqing Championship

International Victories (1)

• 2008 Sofitel Golf Championship [China]

PLAYOFF RECORD

PGA TOUR CHINA SERIES (1-0)

• 2018 Defeated William Harrold, Chongqing Championship

Personal

• Moved to Canada from China at age 15 to prepare for a professional golf career.

Special Interests

CURRENT YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

• Canada Life Series Championship at TPC Toronto (Canada Life Series): Made it four for four in Canada Life Series top-10s with his 67-69-67 showing at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s Heathlands Course. The T8 performance, with Albert Pistorius, JJ Regan and Josh Whalen, allowed him to win the overall points title over Pistorius.
• Canada Life Series at TPC Toronto: Heathlands Course (Canada Life Series): Held a share of the lead through 36 holes after a 64-71 start in the Canada Life Series’ third tournament. Could only muster an even-par 71 on the final day, with a late bogey at No. 16 that proved costly. Couldn’t birdie either of his final two holes and fell a stroke shy of winner Albert Pistorius. Settled for a T2 with Callum Davison and Andrew Funk.
• Canada Life Series at Bear Mountain: Valley Course (Canada Life Series): Was dominant all week, opening with a 4-under 67 to take a share of the lead with Scott Kerr. Dominated from there, turning in a second consecutive 67 at Bear Mountain’s Valley Course to take a five-shot lead into the final round. On the strength of a final-round 66, pulled away for a whopping, eight-shot triumph over Albert Pistorius and Joey Savoie. Was the only player in the field with three under-par rounds, all of them in the 60s.
• Canada Life Series at Bear Mountain: Mountain Course (Canada Life Series): Opened 69-69 and was five strokes behind 36-hole leader Evan Holmes at Bear Mountain’s Mountain Course in mid-August. Although he shot an even-par 71 on the final day, moved up the leaderboard into a T3 with Derek Gillespie, four shots behind Holmes’ winning total.

Career Highlights

2020 Season

In four Canada Life Series tournaments, enjoyed four top-10s and ultimately took the points title by a little more than 17 points over Albert Pistorius. His No. 1 finish earned him a playing spot in the 2021 RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR.

• Canada Life Series Championship at TPC Toronto (Canada Life Series): Made it four for four in Canada Life Series top-10s with his 67-69-67 showing at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s Heathlands Course. The T8 performance, with Albert Pistorius, JJ Regan and Josh Whalen, allowed him to win the overall points title over Pistorius.
• Canada Life Series at TPC Toronto: Heathlands Course (Canada Life Series): Held a share of the lead through 36 holes after a 64-71 start in the Canada Life Series’ third tournament. Could only muster an even-par 71 on the final day, with a late bogey at No. 16 that proved costly. Couldn’t birdie either of his final two holes and fell a stroke shy of winner Albert Pistorius. Settled for a T2 with Callum Davison and Andrew Funk.
• Canada Life Series at Bear Mountain: Valley Course (Canada Life Series): Was dominant all week, opening with a 4-under 67 to take a share of the lead with Scott Kerr. Dominated from there, turning in a second consecutive 67 at Bear Mountain’s Valley Course to take a five-shot lead into the final round. On the strength of a final-round 66, pulled away for a whopping, eight-shot triumph over Albert Pistorius and Joey Savoie. Was the only player in the field with three under-par rounds, all of them in the 60s.
• Canada Life Series at Bear Mountain: Mountain Course (Canada Life Series): Opened 69-69 and was five strokes behind 36-hole leader Evan Holmes at Bear Mountain’s Mountain Course in mid-August. Although he shot an even-par 71 on the final day, moved up the leaderboard into a T3 with Derek Gillespie, four shots behind Holmes’ winning total.

2018 Season

Won in the second week of the PGA TOUR Series-China season but couldn’t manage another top-10. Finished the year 12th on the Order of Merit. Also played in five China Tour tournaments, picking up one top-10.

• Bo'ao Open (China): Shot four under-par rounds in Hainan in late-March, early April to finish T9, six shots behind winner Charlie Saxon.
• Chongqing Championship: Came from eight strokes off the pace with a final-round, bogey-free, 9-under 63, matching his career-low round, to win his first PGA TOUR Series-China title. His 63 at the Poly GC set a new record for the low finish by a winner, bettering the 64 by Chinese Taipei’s Shih Chang Chan in winning the 2015 Eternal Courtyard Open. The victory came in his 30th career start. on Tour. Had started his final round tied for ninth place but made the turn at 5-under 31 and then ran off consecutive birdies on Nos. 12-15, which eventually led to a playoff with William Harrold. He quickly ended the playoff, sinking a 4-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole.

2017 Season

Played more than half the season on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. Made the cut in half of his tournaments. In only six China Tour starts, still finished 18th on the Order of Merit. Added three other top-10s in his abbreviated season in China, an eighth-place showing at the Binhai Forest Tianjin Open, a T5 at the Pure Pu'Er Tea Classic and a T6 at the Shenzhou Peninsula Classic.

• Jiangsu Open (China): Turned in his best finish on the China Tour, a solo-second showing in Jiangsu. Shot a final-round 71 only to fall one shot behind winner Callum Tarren.
• Binhai Forest Tianjin Open (China): inished in eighth at Tianjin Binhai Forest GC for his fourth top-10 of the campaign.
• Freedom 55 Financial Championship: Shot four under-par rounds at the Freedom 55 Financial Open in June, finishing T20 for his best showing on PGA TOUR Canada.
• Pure Pu'Er Tea Classic (China): A second-round 65 was the highlight of his week at Kunming Wind Valley Club, leading to a T5 with Corey Hale and Gunn Charoenkul.

2016 Season

Split his time between the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China. Played in seven events and earned ¥211,470 to finish 21st on the Order of Merit, thanks to four top-10s.

• Zhuhai Hengqing Phoenix Tree Open: Picked up another top-10, this time a T4 at the Zhuhai Hengqin Phoenix Tree Open in mid-November. Opened with a 1-over 72 at the Orient G&CC then rode three rounds of par or better (71-71-69) to the top-five that matched his fourth-place effort at the Yulongwan Yunnan Open for best of his campaign.
• Chongqing Newtown King Run Open: Added a second consecutive top-10, this time at the Chongqing Jiangnan NewTown KingRun Open. Began the event with a 5-under 67 then stumbled to a 1-over 73 in the second round. Played his final 36 holes in 9-under to T6 with Kook Hyan Kim and Jesse Speirs.
• Putian Open: Continued his solid play. Added his third top-10 of the season to his resume with a T9 . Had three back-nine birdies at the Putian Mazu GC and Resort.
• Yulongwan Yunnan Open: In his PGA TOUR China debut, he made his presence felt with a fourth-place finish. Prior to playing in Kunming, he had spent his entire season on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. Shot rounds of 67-66-69-66 at Yulongwan GC to record his first top-five since finishing T4 at the 2015 Chongqing Jiangnan NewTown KingRun Open.

2015 Season

Finished 11th on the Order of Merit, recording four top-10s during the year.

• SIGA Dakota Dunes Open: Enjoyed a successful Mackenzie - PGA TOUR Canada debut when he T19 in Saskatoon in July. Opened 69-66 then added rounds of 70-71 on the weekend at Dakota Dunes GL.
• Chongqing Open: Jumped into contention at the Chongqing Jiangnan NewTown KingRun Open in mid-October after shooting a 5-under 67 in the second round. Trailed Sweden's Thomas Petersson by a stroke through 36 holes. Fell backward Saturday with a 3-over 75 then recovered on the final day with another 67 to T4 with Rory Hie and Justin Shin.
• The Eternal Courtyard Open: In his next start, earned his career-best Ping An Bank China Tour – PGA TOUR China Series' finish when he T3 at The Eternal Courtyard Open. After a disappointing start, where he shot a 76 and had a 9 on the par-5 10th hole, he recovered by shooting rounds of 72-72-67 the rest of the way to T3 with three others, five shots behind winner Shih Chang Chan. Broke inside the top-1,000 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time (No. 928).
• Buick Open: Had a strong start to his season, finishing T4 for his first career top-10. Opened 68-69 to T4 with Zecheng Dou, Jamie Arnold and John Young Kim, four shots behind winner Josh Geary.
• World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions: Made his PGA TOUR and World Golf Championships' debut in November, at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai. Finished 74th at Sheshan International GC.

2014 Season

Played in nine PGA TOUR Series-China events, making the cut in every one. Enjoyed a pair of top-20 finishes and ended the season 49th on the Order of Merit.

• Cadillac Championship: Earned his best finish of the season, opening with a 4-under 68 at the Cadillac Championship in Beijing. For the second consecutive tournament–and third time this season–shot a final-round 69 to T13.
• Mission Hills Haikou: Finished T43 at the Mission Hills Haikou Open in the PGA TOUR China Series' debut.

2013 Season

• Volvo China Open: Qualified for the Volvo China Open by finishing eighth in the 36-hole event but then missed the cut in the actual tournament.

2012 Season

• China Challenge Tour No. 1: At the season-opening event, at Tian Zhu G&CC, and playing in only his third professional event, shot an even-par 288 to finish second, two strokes behind winner Mu Hu. Held the 54-hole lead but stumbled on his final day, shooting an 8-over 80.

2008 Season

Led the China Tour's order of merit.

• Kunming Championship: Added a T12 at the Kunming Championship, tying with amateur Mu Hu.
• Guangzhou Championship (China): Finished alone in fifth in Guangzhou, playing at the Dragon Lake GC's Asian Games Course. Weekend rounds of 72-75 left him eight shots behind winner Lianwei Zhang.
• Luxehills Golf Championship (China): After his sunner-up finish in Shanghai, came right back in his next start, at Luxehills GC, and was solo second, three shots behind Chinese Taipei's Chi Huang Tsai. Opened with an even-par 72 then played his final 54 holes in 15-under.
• Shanghai Championship (China): Came close to winning in Shanghai in May. Opened 74-70-70 and was three strokes behind Xiao Ma Chen entering the final round. Fired a 1-over 73 on the final day to T2 with Chen, two strokes behind Taiwan's Mong Nan Hsu.
• Sofitel Golf Championship (China): Captured the title, defeating Lian Wei Zhang in a playoff after the pair finished tied at 10-under and a stroke ahead of amateur Dong Su. Held a three-stroke, 54-hole lead over Zhang but faltered on the final day, shooting a 2-over 74 to drop into the playoff.