12/17/2023 0 Comments Buy hot shots golf fore![]() She lacked any course management and had to learn the hard way about controlling her distances and shot-shaping.Įven amid the growing pains, she’d call the start of her professional career “fortunate.” She spent her rookie year on the LET and earned LPGA status at the end of it at Q-School. At times, Yin was too powerful for her own good. Yin’s few years playing professional golf turned out to be an education of its own, one she never knew she needed. She took the leap in 2016 and turned pro. She didn’t want to “miss the train” that was professional golf. Close to home, close to great courses – what could be a better fit?īut for Yin, a college education felt like something she could pursue at any point. ![]() She still landed an offer from USC, one of the best programs in the entire country. Girls Junior – she only won once on the AJGA, where she spent most of her amateur career. Women’s Amateur and reaching the final at the U.S. We just did what we thought we needed to do and that was enough.”ĭespite being one of the most promising prospects in junior golf – nearly qualifying for the U.S. “There was the knowledge that we lacked, and we didn't really seek more because the truth is, financially, to seek more, it's hard. “I didn't grow up in a golfing household,” Yin said. First exposed to golf from word of mouth, her mother mistakenly purchased a book on croquet to learn more. Just by observing, she developed one of the most powerful swings the eye could see. Yin wasn’t taking lessons, so she’d watch a range full of “old men,” hovering her driver like Tiger Woods. When Yin thinks back on her 2023 season, a year where she won for the first time, where she is (projected) to finish 13th in the Race to CME Globe, and climbed to the best world ranking of her career, it’s how she handled the disappointment of losing a major that sticks out the most.Īll the hard work, in that moment, was far behind her.Īs affable and personable as athletes come, it might come as a surprise that Yin willingly spent most of her days as a kid alone on a golf course.Ī lot of that time was also spent in observation. If I can talk about how much I appreciate life right now, I’ll get emotional - (but) not over this.” “I’m just really happy with who I am, where I am, and what I’m doing right now. “I think I’ve just come a long way,” Yin said. That’s why, as Vu was lifting the trophy, Yin was still smiling. In Angel Yin’s case, you rely on the mental fortress you’ve spent years building. What do you do when someone’s greatest triumph is your biggest disappointment? “Watch, I’m going to go home and cry,” Yin said, laughing. “You’re taking the loss pretty well so far,” ’s Zephyr Melton observed. Standing at the podium after the loss, fielding various questions, the 24-year-old reflected on one of the most exhausting days of her life. She could only watch in shock as Vu made a birdie to put an exclamation point on the win. Yin, who had played so well throughout the Chevron Championship, had let it slip from her grasp. Her ball continued to tumble out of the sky, splashing into the lake a foot from the bank in front of the green. Yin watched in anguish as it curled toward the grandstands. ![]() She drew back her club and fired her hips. She visualized the shot she wanted to hit, a towering draw over the lake. Yin stood over the ball, a gentle breeze in her face. One of them was about to win their first major. ![]() They chose different paths on their way to adulthood - Yin taking an early leap to professional golf in 2016 and Vu taking the collegiate route at UCLA - but now their paths were crossing again. The two Southern Californians, a year apart in age, had once dominated the junior golf scene. She just needed one more great swing, and all the pressure would be on Vu to match. Her tee shot had landed in the right center of the fairway, and in a playoff against Lilia Vu, Yin now had just a 5 iron left into the Par 5.Īfter so much doubt and anguish and frustration, after years of second-guessing herself, it looked like Angel Yin finally found her way. Seven years into her professional golf career, this felt like Angel Yin’s chance to claim a major championship. Standing in the middle of the 18th fairway at The Club at Carlton Woods, the moment had arrived. ![]()
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