Five players from five countries have won the first five events of the LPGA Tour season, including a historic first-time winner.
On Sunday at the DIO Implant LA Open, less than a year after Shanshan Feng, a pioneer for golf in the People’s Republic of China, retired from competitive golf, Ruoning Yin joined Feng as the only two players from China to win on the LPGA Tour. Yin looked up to Feng and like so many in China were inspired by Feng’s success as an Olympic Bronze Medalist and 10-time winner on the LPGA.
“I can be the second Chinese player after Shanshan Feng, that means a lot. I think maybe I can push little more Chinese kids to play golf and push more people to focus on China golf,” Yin said after her maiden win. “That means a lot, and not just for me, but also China Golf. I think, yeah, it's going to be a big day.”
She may just be a second-year member, but on Sunday outside Los Angeles, Yin played with the resolve of her role model as she held off a charging pack of major champions in Georgia Hall, Hyo Joo Kim, and Patty Tavatanakit to add an LPGA victory to her growing resume which includes three victories on the China LPGA.
Feng was the first player from the People's Republic of China to join the LPGA, which now touts Yin as one of nine members from the country. It’s a testament to the true global nature of the LPGA which is made up of members from 36 countries, and its worldwide influence is reflected in the diversity of its winners, especially over the past two seasons.
In 2022, players from six countries captured the first six events of the year. By season's end, there were 11-first time winners from nine different countries. In 2023, the LPGA is on pace to match last season’s record with five champions, each from a different country, through the first five events of the season.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson captured the season-opener at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Lilia Vu of the United States captured the Tour’s second stop at the Honda LPGA Thailand. The Republic of Korea’s Jin Young Ko won the third event of the season at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Celine Boutier of France returned to the winner’s circle at the LPGA Drive On Championship. And the People’s Republic of China’s Yin won the DIO Implant LA Open for a historic first-time victory.
After back-to-back tournaments in Arizona and California to kick off the U.S. portion of the LPGA’s schedule, the Tour is taking a week off before heading to Hawaii for the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei. The long-running island stop has enjoyed a slew of global winners with champions from seven countries in its 10 editions, including Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim, who will seek to defend her title.
If history is any indication, it has taken about a decade to see the influence that some of the most significant wins on the LPGA have had on the growth of the women’s game around the world. Inbee Park won the U.S. Women’s Open 10 years after Se Ri Pak inspired a generation of youngsters in the Republic of Korea with her win at the same championship. And on Sunday, Yin became the second player from China to win on the LPGA, 11 years after Feng’s breakthrough win at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
What will be the impact of Yin’s win? Wait and see.
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