Xinjun Zhang is playing the Waste Management Phoenix Open this week but he is certainly doing so with thoughts of home.
Zhang is from China, the nation hit the hardest so far by the recent coronavirus outbreak.
Zhang shot 69 in the first round at TPC Scottsdale but followed that up with a 1-over 72 on Friday. He is sitting at 1 under overall, two shots within the projected cut for the weekend.
After his round, he talked about focusing on golf while also keeping an eye on the situation back home.
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“It’s something we’ve been following very closely and obviously sympathy to the families over there. It’s something that we’re hoping will pass through soon. We have belief in China as a country they can overcome this virus soon,” Zhang said through his caddie and interpreter Yuan Liu.
Zhang talked about feeling a bit helpless, being so far from some of his family members.
“Definitely feel a little like that,” Zhang said through Liu. “Actually, this week when we first got to Arizona, we went to three different stores to try to purchase some of the masks, medical masks, not only for ourselves but to send some back, because there’s a very, very low supply back in China right now and even here in the states, here in Phoenix, they’re all out of stock, so definitely feeling a little bit of helplessness.”
Zhang said he has reached out to family with more frequency the last several days.
“Definitely contacting family a lot, almost daily and really just telling them how important it is to stay indoors when you can, stay home when you can. If you do have to go out, have protective masks. And just have belief in China as a country to overcome this as soon as possible.”
Zhang, 32, is married with two children and has been on the PGA Tour since 2018. He has two Korn Ferry Tour wins as well as two PGA Tour China victories.
He finished T-55 last week at the Farmers Insurance Open. Before that he had missed three straight cuts.
