Born in 2002, the sixth-grader from California will make history when she strides the immaculate greens of Pinehurst golf course in North Carolina later today, becoming the youngest qualifier ever to play the Open.
Even in the world of golf, where top players can begin their careers at an alarmingly young age, Li is something of a phenomena.
She won her qualifying event for the Open at Half Moon Bay by seven strokes – and celebrated by going to see the film "The Amazing Spiderman 2."
After an impressive practice round on Tuesday, Li flashed the braces on her teeth and let the heart-shaped clips in her hair swish as she charmed journalist by giggling her way through her pre-tournament press conference.
They learned that she has moved to Miami for part of the year, where she lives with her aunt Tao while attending the Jim McLean golf school. Her father, Warren, a stockbroker, and mother, Amy, who used to be a manager with Hewlett Packard, have accompanied her to the Open.
Li is not the youngest person to actually play in the Open. Before the requirement to qualify for the event was introduced, 10-year Beverly Klass entered and played in 1967. She did not make the cut.
Li’s pedigree is more established. With a handicap of 15, she is well below the 2.4 threshold required to compete, and has won a string of competitions including the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt Championship in the 10 to 11-year-old category at Augusta.
Not everyone is comfortable with Li’s presence on the pristine lawns of Pinehurst 2, however. Stacy Lewis, 29, the top women’s player in the world, has voiced concern about the prospect of competing against a player 18 years her junior.
She told ESPN: "I'm not a big fan of it. She qualified, so we can't say anything about that. But I like to see kids be successful at every level before they come out here. I just like to see kids learn how to win before they come get beat up out here.
"When I found out she qualified, I said, 'Well, where does she go from here?' You qualify for an Open at 11, what do you do next? If it was my kid, I wouldn't let her play in the U.S. Open qualifier at 11, but that's just me."
Others are more welcoming. Michelle Wie, another to player, who herself played in the Women’s Open at 13, said: "She looks so darn cute. She just looks so excited, so wide-eyed.
“And I'm just really so excited for her to be out. It's a memory that will last her a lifetime. What other 11-year-old can say that they played in the US Open at Pinehurst?"
Li herself insists that she is not worried about her performance, and is just going to enjoy what will no doubt be the first of many US Opens.
"I just want to go out there and have fun and play the best I can, and I really don't care about the outcome," she said. "I want to have fun and learn. I want to learn a lot from these great players." - telegraph.co.uk
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