Andre Chi shoots 81 in first career PGA TOUR round but wins day at Valspar Championship

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Much of life’s happiness is determined through perspective. We mostly know this but sometimes have a hard time internalizing it.

This sentiment rang true in Thursday’s opening round of the Valspar Championship, where the player who shot the highest score in the morning wave – likely with the least money in his bank account – exited the scoring area with the brightest demeanor.

Monday qualifier Andre Chi carded an opening-round 81 at the Valspar Championship, the highest score from Thursday’s morning wave at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course, but his buoyant spirit afterward would make you think he was leading the tournament. (Keith Mitchell, Stephan Jaeger, Jacob Bridgeman and Ricky Castillo shared the morning-wave lead at 4-under 67.)

Chi, 24, met the media early Thursday afternoon still in awe of what has transpired this week. After advancing through Monday’s four-spot open qualifier to earn a tee time at the Valspar, he played a happenstance Tuesday practice round alongside Adam Scott, a longtime role model in the game. Chi, whose bank account has hovered near its minimum balance this winter as he chases his professional golf dreams, is an assistant pro at Deepdale Golf Club outside New York City but has spent the past few months in Florida, working on his game in hopes of competing at the game’s highest level.

In his third Monday qualifying attempt of the winter, he earned his first PGA TOUR start.

“I’m not working and I’m playing Mondays, and so there’s money going out, no money coming in,” Chi said Thursday. “I put that gamble on myself, but I thought if I just did everything I could to get better I think the golf game will speak for itself and the support will come, so I didn’t lose sight of that belief and here we are and I'm extremely grateful.”

Not only did Chi advance through the Monday qualifier (carding a 67 to earn one of four available spots in the field), but he had also survived a pre-qualifier last Thursday at Southern Hills Plantation Club with a bogey-free 66. It’s one of golf’s ultimate lotteries – going from a pre-qualifier to a TOUR event. Chi pulled it off.

Chi caddied for veteran TOUR pro Byeong Hun An at last month’s Seminole Pro-Member; An encouraged him to stay in touch, and Chi reached out for a practice round ahead of the Valspar. They were standing on the tee when Scott walked up and asked if he could join. The veteran Australian was chatty with Chi, offering advice on how to tackle the Copperhead Course – a surreal experience for Chi, who tried to copy Scott’s swing in his formative years. “I told him that,” Chi said, “which was funny.”

Chi’s dad turned 61 on Thursday, and the elder Chi walked along from outside the ropes at the Copperhead Course. The scores left a bit to be desired, as Chi made six bogeys and two double bogeys, failing to record a single birdie. Most of the damage came on the greens, where Chi lost nearly five strokes to the field, and he was keenly aware. “Right now, I’m just trying to figure out my putting,” he said afterward. Even after fulfilling a lifelong dream, Chi’s mind returned to the grind.

Chi’s dad used to rip out pages from magazines to make scrapbooks, which served as the younger Chi’s foundational instruction in the game. He progressed to YouTube videos, “trying to learn from the best players in the world and copying their swings,” namely Scott and Tiger Woods. He played Division III college golf at Methodist, averaging 76.8 as a freshman (making just two starts) and progressing to win the Division III individual title as a senior in 2022.

After the New York golf season concluded last fall, Chi connected with Kyle Dobbs, an assistant pro at Ardsley Country Club (near Deepdale), who helped set him up with housing at PGA Golf Club in South Florida, which has become Chi’s base this winter for practice.

Chi is thankful for his friends, family and supporters who have allowed him to chase this wild dream, even as his bank account drained near zero. His financial situation received an uptick after his story was covered by Monday Q Info on Monday evening; he received roughly $31,000 in support by Tuesday.

“I just always wanted to do this,” Chi said Thursday. “I never gave up. I just had a hot week on this past Monday and to be here feels great, but this is so many people along the way I think more importantly, that has helped me get here. Yeah, the golf game helps, but the amount of support and the special teams in my circle who have supported me throughout the years is why I'm here, I believe.”

PGA TOUR pros can sometimes fall victim to their own success, sometimes letting a bad score or bad bounce skew the bigger picture that they’re playing a game for a living. Chi offered the perfect antidote Thursday at the Valspar – a reminder to cherish the magical moments that arise, for there’s no guarantee they’ll be replicated.

As Chi took the player shuttle from the scoring area to the parking lot Thursday afternoon, he glanced over to the first fairway as an afternoon group trotted past and nodded his head – one more picture for a mental scrapbook that he’ll keep close by.