Ding was born in Beijing, China, where his father, Feng, worked as a football coach.

That year, he was also runner-up in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, losing in a playoff, and had two top-ten finishes in professional tournaments in China, at the Hainan Open on the Challenge Tour and the Volvo China Open on the Asian Tour.

Having left college to meet eligibility requirements,[3] he finished top of the Global Amateur Pathway rankings to gain status on the DP World Tour for 2025.

By turning professional, he forfeited exemptions into the Masters Tournament and U. S. Open gained from his Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship win.

His first tournament as a professional was the Hangzhou Open on the Challenge Tour, where he finished in a tie for 11th place.