She is the second-youngest qualifier for the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, and the youngest ever to advance to match play in that event.

Li was an age group winner at the inaugural Masters Drive, Chip, and Putt Championship in Augusta, Georgia.

[2] Her father, Warren Li, is a San Francisco Bay Area computer consultant and stockbroker.

[1] She lived with her aunt Tao Zeng four months per year to train in Florida near Trump National Doral Miami and McLean's Golf School.

[8] Some sources claim that she began practicing at Mariners Point Golf Center at about age 4 or 5, with informal coaching from her mother and aunt.

[3] Other sources claim that she began playing golf at age 7 while watching her older brother Luke, a Princeton University student, who was hitting balls at a driving range.

[8][10] Li was the second-youngest qualifier in May 2013 for the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links before becoming the youngest to advance to match play that June.

[11] In 2014, at the first ever Drive, Chip and Putt Championship on the Sunday preceding the 78th edition Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, she won the Girls 10–11 age division.

[10] Although Li's qualification was largely heralded, some were befuddled at the state of the sport when a sixth grader could even qualify for one of the most prestigious events of the year.

[35][36] On May 14 at the Contra Costa Country Club, Pleasant Hill, California, Li qualified for the 2018 U.S. Women's Open,[37] where she was again the youngest player in the field.

[43] At the 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur, Li was co-medalist and earned the number one seed for the match play portion of the event.

[51] Li's first USGA event as a professional was the U.S. Women's Open where she finished in a tie for 16th place at Olympic Club on June 6, 2021.

This has been Li's best finish in a LPGA major event to date, and the $84,000 in prize money more than doubled her career tournament earnings.

Li's first professional victory on the Epson Tour came in a playoff with an eagle 3 on the first hole at Kinston Country Club's Carolina Golf Classic on June 12, 2022.

Li was the leader after the second and third rounds, and was paired with Lexi Thompson, another former child prodigy, in the final grouping.

[54][55] Li's second start as a full-time LPGA member occurred in April 2023 when she finished 18th at the DIO Implant LA Open.

She finished the year outside the top 100 on the money list but performed well at Q-school (T-17) raising her LPGA ranking status for 2024.