Yin Ruoning captures first LPGA Tour victory at LA Open
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Tournament winner Yin Ruoning of China plays her shot from the 11th tee during the final round of the DIO Implant LA Open at Palos Verdes Golf Club on Sunday.
PHOTO: AFP
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CALIFORNIA – Yin Ruoning shot her highest round of the tournament, but the one-under 70 was good enough for her first LPGA Tour victory by one stroke on Sunday at the LA Open.
Yin, in her second season on the LPGA Tour, had an adventurous round with six birdies and five bogeys at Palos Verdes Golf Club, south-west of Los Angeles.
She carded rounds of 68-64-67 to share the lead after two rounds and sit alone atop the leaderboard after the third round.
Yin said she knew she could make birdies and told herself to be patient. After she followed a birdie at No. 2 with three bogeys, she ran off four straight birdies to close out the front nine.
“I fought so hard today, and I just made three bogeys in a row on the front nine,” she said.
“I’m so happy that I fought back, and, yeah, from holes 6 to 9 it was great, four-birdie (run) out there.”
She is the second player from China to win on the Tour, following the retired Feng Shanshan (10 career victories), who last succeeded in 2019 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.
“That means a lot, not just for me, also for China,” Yin said. “And Shanshan is always my goal here, and I think she got 10 tour wins, and, yeah, it’s just my first one.
“She’s definitely the person I look up to.”
Yin, a resident of Orlando, Florida, bogeyed holes 10 and 13, then birdied the par-five 14th hole to get back to 15 under. She parred her last four holes.
She edged out England’s Georgia Hall, who had a bogey-free round with birdies at holes 4, 5, 7 and 16 but also parred the last two holes to finish with a round of 67 for 14 under.
Hall was also second a week earlier at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain. She lost in a one-hole play-off to France’s Celine Boutier in Gold Canyon, Arizona.
Patty Tavatanakit (65) of Thailand and Kim Hyo-joo (71) of South Korea tied for third at 12 under, with Carlota Ciganda (66) of Spain and Nelly Korda (67) joint-fifth at 11 under. World No. 1 Lydia Ko (69) shared 34th spot at three under.
Yin made seven of 16 cuts as a rookie last season, including a tie for 33rd in this event in 2022 at Wilshire Country Club.
She is, at 20 years, 6 months and 5 days, the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour since Atthaya Thitikul at the 2022 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (19 years, 7 months, 5 days). REUTERS
