Neither Haotong Li’s 2019 Presidents Cup debut nor the team’s strategy went as planned. The International team entered Sunday singles with a 10-8 lead over the Americans. But they ended up losing the event 14-16 to Team USA, who made a comeback on the final day. As for the Chinese golfer, he went winless in Melbourne. Yet, years later, it is not the losses that Li remembers most vividly from that week.

Instead, one particular night involving International captain Ernie Els has stayed with him. It was the kind of off-course memory that makes these team events even more special for everyone involved. Li revisited the story on the DP World Tour’s Life on Tour podcast. He revealed just how far that night went despite the loss.

“I still remember the last time I’m dance with Ernie Els at a Presidents Cup after-party,” Haotong Li revealed. “We danced like four hours straight, nonstop. There’s a lot of people, but most of the time it was just us. We both are a little bit drunk, and we just keep dancing somehow. Like, even just before heading to John Deere, I had lunch with him at a Bears Club. We talk about that as well. He’s like, ‘Haotong, you finally made it to America now?’

“Three, four hours. It was a long night. The other day, my leg was actually shaking. I was sore, and I was trying to remember what I did; it was just dancing.”

According to Li, it was a private space in Melbourne. However, he admitted that he was not completely certain about the exact venue. The story is particularly interesting given what had happened on the golf course that week. The Chinese professional was making his first-ever appearance at the biennial event. He went 0-2 at the Presidents Cup.

In addition to Sunday singles, he lost his team matches alongside Marc Leishman to Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas. He faced Dustin Johnson in singles. Despite the difficult result, Li’s relationship with Els was clearly stronger than the competitive disappointment.

It wasn’t their first time playing together. Their connection went back to the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. The two had played alongside each other in the final round. While Els shot a final-round 74, Li carded a 7-under 63 for a solo third finish at the event.

Li credited Ernie Els for that spectacular final round. He said that he learned a lot from him. Els also identified Li as a lively personality before the Presidents Cup.

That bond carried into 2019, when Li qualified automatically for Els’ International Team as one of the top eight players in the standings. At 23, he was set to make his Presidents Cup debut at Royal Melbourne, becoming the first player from mainland China to qualify for the International side.

Li was not a captain’s pick. He earned his place alongside Marc Leishman, Louis Oosthuizen, Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama, Abraham Ancer, Cameron Smith and C.T. Pan, joining a group that blended experienced Presidents Cup players with four first-time participants.

“He’s quite a lively character, and he’s quite outspoken in a confident way,” Els said ahead of the biennial event. “He’ll carry his weight in the team room very well. Good putter, and on his day, he can go as low as anybody. I am really excited to have him on the team.”

For Li, the 2019 Presidents Cup may remain a winless chapter on paper. Off the course, though, it produced a story involving one of golf’s biggest names that he clearly has no trouble remembering.

The 2019 campaign was really special for the Chinese professional. He even recalled a story involving Tiger Woods performing a rare action that year.

Tiger Woods moment that stayed with Haotong Li at Augusta

The two stories emerged during a recent appearance on the DP World Tour’s Life on Tour podcast, presented by Buffalo Trace. In a conversation with host George Harper Jr., Haotong Li looked back on his four-hour dance session with Ernie Els after the 2019 Presidents Cup and his unexpected exchange with Tiger Woods at Augusta National earlier that year.

Titled ‘Haotong Li | Growing up in China,’ meeting Kevin Hart at the Masters and dancing with Ernie Els, the episode allowed the Chinese golfer to revisit the moments away from competition that remained with him long after the events themselves.

Li paired with Woods and Jon Rahm for the first two rounds of the 2019 Masters. He was a young professional back then, and like most other golfers, he got intimidated by the thought of playing with Woods. Therefore, he got nervous and was even thinking that he might end up hitting a round of ninety because of the anxiety.

He said one of the biggest reasons for his nervousness was the crowd. Partnered with the veteran golfer, he thought there would be a lot of people watching him play at Augusta National. But when he saw that the crowd was normal, he relaxed a bit. Thus, he opened up and started communicating with Woods.

Cut to the 18th green of Round 2, Woods slapped Li’s a** and asked him to score a birdie on the final hole. Although it was just a six-foot birdie putt, Li recalled that he could not make it because he was too excited after the incident. Woods still praised his overall performance, and Li made the cut at the 2019 Masters.

He went on to finish tied for 43rd after a closing 4-under 68. Woods converted his opening rounds of 70 and 68 into one of the defining wins of his career, closing with a 2-under 70 to win by one shot at 13 under. The victory secured Woods his fifth green jacket and 15th major title, his first major championship since the 2008 U.S. Open.

That same sense of camaraderie helps explain why Li’s Presidents Cup memories extend beyond the final score, from his long night with Els to the unexpected moment he shared with Woods at Augusta National.