At this time last year, Angel Yin suffered a broken ankle, preventing her from competing in the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Flash forward to now, Angel Yin not only secured her second win at the tournament this weekend, but broke records. With a score of 28-under, Yin broke the 72-hole scoring record set by Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Xiyu Lin in 2022.
Yin was one of only nine players to go bogey- free in the third round three, ending that Saturday with a score of 64.
Trailing behind by one stroke was Akie Iwai. In the first round, Iwai was ahead by five strokes, but Yin pulled away starting in the second round, maintaining her lead throughout the rest of the tournament. By the time Yin entered the final round, she had an 80.7% chance of winning.
Commenting on her second ever victory, Yin reflects back on how far she’s progressed. “Well, it means a lot, since last year I wanted to play Thailand but I couldn’t because I was in a wheelchair. Golf is not that wheelchair friendly sometimes. It’s such an honor. I’m super grateful that I was able to come and win here. Thailand, the fans are incredible and the golf course is incredible, and I think the whole week and experience is a ten out of ten,” Yin said.
When asked about the close competition with Yin, Iwai replied, “One time I caught up Angel, but she is really good. There is no room to get in. She played much better than me. That’s it,” said Iwai. (*Note: this has been translated and lightly edited.)
Running for 17 years, the Honda LPGA Thailand has been able to highlight the successes of many LPGA players. The 6,418-yard course hosted 72 of the world’s top female golfers. This event is notable in the schedule because there was no cut after 36 holes.
As a Girls Golf Ambassador, Yin recognizes the importance of having young viewership at the tournament. She said, “It means a lot because we want to inspire the next generation to help create more LPGA. It doesn’t stop here. I want to be able to help mentor or whatever, be a good example at least, I hope, for the next generation of golfers. To see all the little girls that came out, and boys too that came out to support LPGA, it is so amazing.”
“We’re here to grab the next million and keep growing the game,” said Yin.
The next tournament on the LPGA tour tees off on Feb. 27th. The HSBC Women’s World Championship will be hosted in Singapore.
