A 10-under 61 usually lifts a golfer’s mood. Haotong Li shot one on Saturday at the Biltmore Championship in Asheville and moved inside the top ten. Yet his mind stayed on something more than a trophy. As the PGA Tour’s fall season began this week, Li used his post-press conference to explain what he wants from it.

“I just plan to survive. This is my first year on a full category over here, and I just want to keep my card and do something solid. And then hopefully I can play more golf in America,” he said, speaking to the press.

A candid answer? Certainly, but it makes sense once you look at the standings. Only the top 100 in the FedEx Cup after November’s RSM Classic keep full status for 2027. Li, however, arrived at Biltmore ranked 133rd, according to Golf Channel. He’s finishing outside the line, meaning partial status or possible demotion. The eight fall events can now decide his fate for the season.

Notably, Li has flagged the trouble months earlier. At the RBC Canadian Open in June, after a second-round 64 lifted him to a tie for second, he spoke openly about his run of missed cuts previously.

“I’ve been struggling for two months,” he had said.

Li also admitted his tee shots in the event looked no different on good days, but the trouble came over the last five or six holes on Fridays and was a recurring issue. He even consulted his psychologist, who told him to dismiss the negative voices by labeling them as “bad Haotong.” PGATour.com added that Li did not see the problem as purely physical and that adjusting to life in a new country added mental pressure. Despite that, Li then shot 79 in round three and finished T60.

His physical condition showed strain on his results too. He missed the cut in 13 of his last 17 starts, according to the PGA Tour, and finished outside the top 70 that qualified for FedEx Cup playoffs. Moreover, he swung his major’s result as well. He sat tied for seventh through 54 holes at the Masters despite food poisoning, then shot 80 on Sunday to finish T38. He also missed the cut at the Open at Royal Birkdale.

That being said, Haotong Li has tried to resurge his game. He played the last four weeks on the DP World Tour, finishing in the top 20 in his last two starts, including a T14 at the Irish Open. If this can turn around, his PGA Tour card’s survival remains to be seen.

Li Reached the PGA Tour After a Breakout 2025 Season

While the 2026 season has been tough, Haotong Li has climbed back from worse before. For instance, he nearly retired in 2021 after missing 13 of 16 cuts on the DP World Tour. But by February 2025, he was winning the Qatar Masters and finished that season with eight top-10 finishes and was also ranked fourth on the DP World Tour in strokes gained: Approach.

His last season also included some of his best performances, including the Open. Li shared the first-round lead at Royal Portrush and played the final round beside Scottie Scheffler, finishing tied for fourth. That result earned him a Masters invite, and his Race to Dubai finish handed him one of the ten PGA Tour cards.

As for his 2026, it has been a bit wobbly. Regardless of his results, his iron play has not disappeared, and he also ranks 15th on the PGA Tour in greens hit heading into Biltmore. Now, as he returns on Sunday for the final round inside the top 10, a finish here could give him a chance to make the PGA Tour once again next season.