Ruoning Yin, 20, becomes second Chinese player to win an LPGA major at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Ruoning Yin used to tell her mom that if she’d been 10 centimeters taller, she would’ve played basketball rather than golf.

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SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Ruoning Yin used to tell her mom that if she’d been 10 centimeters taller, she would’ve played basketball rather than golf. She has been a Steph Curry fan for nine years, which is a long time for someone who’s only 20 years old. Yin’s stature in the sports world back home in China surely rocketed overnight as she joined Shanshan Feng as the only Chinese players to win a major championship.

Shanghai’s Yin, a chronic leaderboard watcher, knew standing on the 18th tee at the KPMG Women’s PGA that she held a one-shot lead, and after she watched Yuka Saso birdie the final hole in front of her, Yin knew she needed a birdie of her own to win the title.

“I actually kind of felt that I was going to make it,” said Yin, “and I made it. It’s a very weird feeling.”

Yin, who shot 67 in the final round at Baltusrol’s Lower Course and hit a staggering 36 greens over the weekend, wasn’t even playing golf when Feng became the first Chinese player to win a major at the 2012 Wegmans Championship, now known as the KPMG Women’s PGA. The player known on tour as “Ronnie” was 10 ½ when she first picked up a club, the same year her good friend and landlord, Xiyu Lin, joined the LPGA. Lin had a good chance of her own to win this week and finished with a flood of emotion after a closing bogey left her two shots short.

Lin was standing at the mic talking to the media when Yin drained the winning putt.

“It’s amazing,” said Lin. “She’s young, and she’s so talented. She’s definitely really good at dealing with pressure.”

Yin rents Lin’s second home in Orlando, Florida. Lin joked earlier in the week that she thought about raising the rent after Yin won on the LPGA earlier this season. When Yin was asked after her victory if she thought rent might go up after that $1.5 million winner’s paycheck, Yin said: “Actually, I’m thinking about buying her house right now.”

The interview room erupted in laughter.

While Yin was the one lifting the trophy by day’s end, another 20-year-old in the field, Rose Zhang, certainly generated great buzz on Sunday. The former Stanford star, who won in her professional debut on the LPGA earlier this month, trailed by one stroke on the back nine but ultimately finished three shots back in a share of eighth.

“It was definitely very tense,” said Zhang. “I felt a lot of energy from the crowds.”

Yin turned professional in 2020 and set a record when she won her first three consecutive tournaments on the China LPGA Tour. She earned her LPGA card at 2021 Q-Series.

Since coming to the U.S., Yin said her English has improved significantly and her game is more mature. She used to fire at the pin on every hole and now has a more strategic approach.

She also has a new caddie in Jon Lehman, a veteran Korn Ferry Tour looper who recently reached out to some friends who worked on the LPGA to see what jobs might be available. Lehman’s text came through about 20 minutes after Yin let her previous caddie go. They started out together at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, then Lehman came out to Baltusrol the following week for a preview.

“I kind of had a feeling when I was walking it the first time, this is right up her alley,” said Lehman, “a ball-striker’s course.”

This marked Lehman’s first time caddying in a major championship. He tried to keep his player patient when the putts weren’t falling early in the round. Yin had five three-putts on the week but played Sunday bogey-free.

“He knows the course very well,” said Yin. “Like especially on the greens. He just knows every part of the green.

“We start, I think our first tournament at ShopRite, I just read my greens by myself, and this week he just told me he’s really good at reading. I was like, OK, let’s see. Yeah, he’s amazing.”

Yin joins a list of past champions at Baltusrol that includes Hall of Famers Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Mickey Wright. She got goosebumps just listening to her name being mentioned among those greats.

After one week off, Yin returns to action at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, where a women’s major will be contested at the iconic track for the first time. Yin played there once at age 12 during a winter camp. All she remembers is that the rough was thick, and she shot 88.

While Yin was too young to play alongside the trailblazing Feng, she said the 10-time LPGA winner and former No. 1 is the person who has inspired her the most.

“I would say,” said Yin, “she’s definitely the goal that I’m chasing.”

Celebrating a newly-retired Shanshan Feng, the pioneering Chinese player who broke barriers with humor and one-of-a-kind style

It has been a great career for Feng.

From the beginning, Shanshan Feng set a limit of playing only 10 years on the LPGA. Simply getting there was a battle given that no Chinese player had ever earned an LPGA card.

The Covid-19 pandemic extended Feng’s career as the Tokyo Olympics were pushed back but, ultimately, her retirement announcement last week was expected.

“I don’t want to just be a player for all my life,” said the 33-year-old trailblazer and 10-time winner on the LPGA.

A slimmed-down Feng was her usual funny self as she met with U.S. media over a Zoom call last Monday. After she talked about missing American buffalo wings and pepperoni pizza, she said she might order a pie after the call.

Being able to act on a whim is one of the great perks of retirement. Feng has recently enjoyed the luxury of not setting an alarm and impromptu spa days. She hasn’t touched her golf clubs since last September.

“As everybody knows, Shanshan is a happy person, and never push myself too hard,” she said. “I think life is great, and I just want to enjoy life, whatever I’m doing.”

To celebrate one of the great characters in the game who inspired countless Chinese players to follow in her footsteps, here’s a list of significant Feng firsts:

See the complete list of LPGA players who have risen to No. 1

The Rolex Rankings launched in February 2006.

The Rolex Rankings launched in February 2006 with the greatest player in the modern era, Annika Sorenstam, occupying the top spot. Sorenstam remained No. 1 for 60 weeks before Lorena Ochoa overtook her. There wasn’t much turnover in those early days, with Ochoa maintaining her position – as Sorenstam retired in 2008 – for 158 weeks.

The initial top 10 when the rankings debuted included: 1. Annika Sorenstam, 2. Paula Creamer, 3. Michelle Wie West, 4. Yuri Fudoh, 5. Cristie Kerr, 6. Ai Miyazato, 7. Lorena Ochoa, 8. Jeong Jang, 9. Het-Won Han, 10. Juli Inkster.

Since Ochoa left the game in the spring of 2010, however, there have been 13 different players rise to No. 1. Five South Korean players have spent a combined 276 weeks atop the rankings. In all, players from nine different countries have been No. 1, with current No. 1 Nelly Korda becoming the third American in June 2021.

Four players who reached No. 1 in the past 15 years have since retired.

Here’s a complete list of players who have ascended to the top:

Shanshan Feng, a former No. 1 and trail blazer for Chinese golf, contemplates retirement

The Olympics could be Shanshan Feng’s swan song. Then again, it might not be.

JOHNS CREEK, Georgia – Shanshan Feng isn’t quite sure what she’ll do after the Tokyo Olympics. That very well might be her swan song.

But then again, it might not.

After missing the cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA, Feng headed to China to prepare for the Summer Games. She’ll quarantine for two weeks before heading over to Tokyo with the Chinese Olympic contingent. Feng, 31, won the bronze medal at the Games in Rio.

“I’ll think about it after the Olympics, or maybe during my quarantine,” she told Golfweek after Thursday’s round. “I have a lot of time to think about it.”

One of the LPGA’s most unique characters – known for her fantastic sense of humor and cow-print pants ­– Feng blazed a trial when she became the first player from China to secure an LPGA card in 2008. She’s won 10 times on the LPGA, including the 2012 KPMG Women’s Championship (then known as the LPGA Championship) and rose to No. 1 in November 2017, staying there for 23 weeks. She has 18 top-10s in 57 starts in the majors.

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Feng told instructor Gary Gilchrist from the start that she’d like give it her all for 10 years on the LPGA and then move on. The Olympics changed that timeline, and it was pushed back even further due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Feng took all of 2020 off, returning in March at the ANA Inspiration where she tied for third.

“Her swing is better than ever,” said Gilchrist.

Mercer Leftwich has been on Feng’s bag since 2011 and believes that a lot of Feng’s success comes from her confidence. She’s also not one to overwork.

Leftwich jokes that if Feng leaves the tour for too long, he’d fly over to China and bring her back.

“She started laughing,” said Leftwich, “saying ‘No, he will!’ ”

Feng played the first two rounds at Atlanta Athletic Club with Anne van Dam, and said that she was routinely 50 to 60 yards behind her.

“The traveling and jet lag,” said Feng. “Physically, body-wise, it’s just getting there.

“I don’t know what would push me to try to work real hard, work out really hard, to try to gain 20 yards.”

Gilchrist would respect any decision that Feng makes, of course. But he knows what she means to the LPGA and specifically golf in China.

Feng said that in 2015, before the Rio Games, the number of juniors who had registered with the CGA to play in a tournament was around 3,000. That number, she noted, has since grown to around 100,000.

Most back home didn’t know what a major title was when she made history in 2012.

The bronze medal, however, resonated loudly.

Feng has not only inspired the youth in China, she’s also a mentor for those already in the professional ranks.

LPGA player Xiyu “Janet” Lin has known Feng since the first day she went the range because it was Feng’s father who introduced her to the game.

“I know her when she was 17, and she know me when I was 8,” said Lin. “It’s so nice to have a big sister like her because, obviously, when I joined the tour, she’s already been out here, and it’s a major winner already.

“She’s always so open for anything, like I can ask any questions, and she always gave the best advice.”

Gilchrist said Feng’s presence has been invaluable to those coming behind her.

“You can talk to many people,” he said, “but how many people can you really listen to? She’s one they listen to.”

While she’s celebrated back home, Gilchrist believes that, in time, as golf becomes more well-known in China, Feng’s star will only get brighter – regardless of whether or not she plays.

“They still don’t realize what she’s really done in the game,” he said.

“She is unique. She’s like Laura Davies of Chinese golf – she does it her way.”

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With many in China struggling, Shanshan Feng tries to bring a laugh to her friends from afar

After tournament cancellations due to coronavirus, Shanshan Feng will now start her 13th season at the Volvik Founders Cup in Phoenix.

Shanshan Feng has always excelled at keeping the mood light.

The former No. 1 has yet to tee it up this year on the LPGA, and she’s not the least bit concerned about it.

“I’m (almost) 31 years old,” said Feng, a 10-time winner on the LPGA. “I’m never going to ask for the offseason to finish.”

Like several of the LPGA’s high-profile players, Feng decided to start her 2020 season in Thailand, skipping the first four events of the season. She arrived in the U.S. shortly before the start of the Chinese New Year in late January. Feng expected to have three weeks of practice in Los Angeles before heading over to Asia for the start of a three-week swing.

Concerns over the coronavirus, however, forced the LPGA to cancel all three of those tournaments in Thailand, Singapore and China.

In addition, the Buick Shanshan Feng AJGA Girls Invitational has been postponed with Chinese juniors expected in the field. The event was scheduled to be held Feb. 15-17 at Stanford Golf Course.

“I just feel sorry for the juniors,” said Feng. “Those girls that practiced so hard.”

Feng will now start her 13th season on the LPGA March 19-22 at the Volvik Founders Cup in Phoenix.

As for the LPGA losing several limited-field events, Feng noted that it actually levels the playing field for many players.

“It’s maybe more fair to the rookies and the players that wouldn’t be in Asia,” said Feng. “Plus, the Diamond Resorts (Tournament of Champions). (Three) tournaments with no cut before the reshuffle. Now it gives the rookies and others a lot more chances.”

The mysterious coronavirus originated in Wuhan, far away from Feng’s family in Guangzhou.

With many restaurants closed, Feng said her friends have upped their cooking skills in recent weeks, posting daily photos of their kitchen creations.

Feng likes to tease them by sending her own photos from her restaurant favorites in Los Angeles. After several of her friends were lamenting about missing barbecue in a private chat, Feng went out the next day and really rubbed it in, propping up her camera on the restaurant table.

“Like six of them were watching me live eating barbecue,” she said, laughing.

With so much heartbreaking news in China, Feng wanted to bring a smile to their faces.

“I wanted to make them laugh,” she said.

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10 best LPGA players of the decade

Suzann Peterson? Lydia Ko? Ariya Jutanugarn? Golfweek reveals the best 10 LPGA players of the decade.

After Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa left the game to focus on family, youth mostly dominated the next decade on the LPGA.

A dozen players took a turn at No. 1 after Lorena Ochoa ended her streak of 158 weeks in May 2010.

The global nature of the tour exploded, with players like Shanshan Feng, Ariya Jutanugarn and Lydia Ko blazing trails from all corners of the world.

Golfweek takes a look back on the 10 best players of the past 10 years.

Brooke Henderson at the Meijer LPA Classic. (Al Goldis, AP)

10. Brooke Henderson

A two-time winner in each of the past four seasons, Canada’s darling has been a top-10 machine in her time on tour. With nine total victories, she’s the winningest player in Canadian golf history – male or female. Won an LPGA major at age 18.