NAPLES, Fla. — At the beginning of the year, it wasn’t certain that Angel Yin would even be in the field at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

She broke her ankle while skiing in Austria over the offseason and spent the first chunk of 2024 in a wheelchair recovering, trying to heal as fast as possible so she could get back to LPGA Tour competition. Yin made her season debut at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards and teed it up in 19 total tournaments ahead of this week in Naples, Fla., collecting six top-10 results, the most recent of which is a tie for ninth that came at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei.

But because of her late start and some early struggles, the California native didn’t have any idea if she would qualify to compete this year at Tiburón Golf Club. However, as she got things rolling and began to hit her stride, Yin kept climbing the Race to the CME Globe point standings, ultimately finishing 47th after missing the cut last week at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and earning a spot in the 60-player field this week at Tiburón Golf Club.

With a $4 million first-place prize on the line and with at least $55,000 going to every player teeing it up, this year’s CME Group Tour Championship is more lucrative than ever for the LPGA Tour’s best. And after opening with a 7-under 65 on Thursday, Yin is now in contention to take home that historic winner’s check early in her sixth start at the season-ending event, having never finished better than T47 in Naples, Fla.

“I got the green speed down. The first bogey was a three-putt because I hit it too hard,” said Yin. “The greens here are really difficult with the grain and then the slope and the speed, so try not to hit the first putt too difficult where the second putt is like a six-footer coming back. That was my first goal. Second one was to play more conservatively. Although the hole I made a bogey on, (Xiyu Lin) and I both went in the water. That hole is just really difficult. The wind picked up and took it right away.”

Yin knows on a firsthand basis just how life-changing a seven-figure check can be for an LPGA Tour athlete. The 26-year-old won the Aon Risk Reward Challenge last year and took home $1 million as part of the honor, an amount of money that made a significant difference for Yin, both on and off the golf course.

“Medical bills. I sat in a wheelchair for a while, so that was pricey. Although I didn't have surgery, so I think I saved a few bucks there,” said Yin when asked what she spent her Aon winnings on. “I think that million dollars – I don't think, I know – it got me freedom. It allowed me to hire people that I want, add more members to my team this year. I had my friend come out and help me manage myself, manage things.

“I bought myself freedom. And then I was lucky enough to pick up a few sponsors this year. I'm creating more financial freedom for myself and can do whatever I want.”

A $4 million check would give Yin even more room to do just that in life, and she will be working to recreate her first-round performance over the next three days at Tiburón Golf Club with that freedom in the back of her mind. But Yin knows that while this venue can be difficult, many players can also post numbers deep in the red, so she will need to keep pushing and keep going low if she wants a shot at hoisting her second career LPGA Tour trophy come Sunday afternoon at the CME Group Tour Championship.

“I don't think I've ever led a round in my career, so it's a bit different,” said Yin, who is now currently one shot behind 18-hole leader Narin An. “It's a good head start for the big ‘ole prize we get at the end of the week. Hopefully, I continue it and see how it goes on Sunday.”

Angel Yin Around Top of Leaderboard Early at Tiburón Golf Club

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