He acknowledged that his time at ASU has allowed him to become better at his craft as he looks to join countryman Carl Yuan Yechun on the PGA Tour in the near future. Yuan is also in this week's field.

"I was fortunate to become a member of ASU family. I got a lot of help from my coach and my teammates. We've got the world's best training facilities and environment. I made a lot of progress from the training and playing in NCAA which is a very high level of competition. ASU life has been a great growing experience for me," Ding said.

"Winning the US Junior, I think was a breakthrough for Chinese golfers. To our Chinese junior amateurs, achieving good results in top amateur tournaments in the US could make us feel more confident in the future. The win showed that I have managed to get to a level and compete with world's best amateur players. Looking ahead, I just want to keep improving.

"I think I will achieve my PGA Tour goal gradually, and taking it step by step and maybe from playing the developmental tours first. I wish to keep improving my skills, gain tournament experience, and hopefully one day I can compete on the PGA Tour."