An extended break from LPGA Tour competition can often leave a player feeling a little rusty. Drives can go a bit wayward, putts might stop a bit short and chips could feel a little wonky as you once again find your footing on the biggest stage in women’s golf.
But that doesn’t appear to be the case for Angel Yin so far at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards.
After kicking off her week at Shadow Creek with a ho-hum, even-par 72, the 25-year-old let the birdies fly on Thursday in Las Vegas, carding a 4-under 68 to hold just the second 36-hole lead/co-lead of her LPGA Tour career and give herself a good shot at qualifying for the match-play portion of the tournament come Friday’s conclusion.
Yin got the party started early with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole, making four consecutive pars before erasing that effort with a bogey on 15. She quickly rectified that misgiving with a birdie on the par-5 16th hole and then snagged one more birdie on the par-5 18th hole to turn in 34.
Yin parred the first three holes of the front nine and picked up a pair of back-to-back birdies on holes four and five before parring out to post a 68 in her first start of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, her lowest first-round score since she carded a 67 to open the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship.
“I was making some putts, but then on seven, I missed a short one, like a five-footer, which is a bit disappointing because I hit it too soft, which I never do, so that's a bit new to me,” said Yin when asked what was working well for her on Thursday at Shadow Creek. “Overall, today putting really worked. I was able to close out on the saves I had.”
The Buick LPGA Shanghai winner suffered an ankle injury late last year, forcing Yin to take an extended break from professional golf while she healed. She walked 18 holes for the first time since November a little over a week ago and knew making her return at Shadow Creek, a difficult walking venue for both players and spectators, would be an incredibly tall order, but it was a challenge that Yin was willing to face to finally get back in the LPGA Tour saddle, especially with the year’s first major rapidly approaching.
“I got to say it was pretty tough. Took two Advil. They do work. It is not an ad, but they do work,” said Yin. “I’m just happy to play. No tournament next week, so I can rest all I want. If I can hash it out this week and see where my game is, because every single round I play, I get to improve more. My range of motion rankings gets more and more incrementally every day, so the more I play, the better for me. When I go home, I'm going to play anyway because I need to prep for Chevron.”
The 2023 season was a strong one for Yin as she became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Buick LPGA Shanghai in the People’s Republic of China and earned five additional top-10 results, ultimately finishing 16th in the Race to the CME Globe, form she will be working to carry over to her eighth year as an LPGA Tour member.
But despite the early physical setback, Yin said ahead of this week’s event that she feels like she is “hitting it better than before,” something that appears to be true if her first two rounds at a challenging Shadow Creek are any indication.
But with 18 holes to play in Las Vegas, Yin knows that she still has plenty of work to do if she wants to secure a coveted spot in the top eight and advance to single-elimination match play. So, with that goal squarely in mind, Yin will ready herself for another walk around Shadow Creek on Friday, preparing to battle the difficult conditions and her fellow competitors in hopes of playing the weekend in Sin City, something she may not have bet on at the start of the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards.
“I'm playing really well. I just need to stick to my game plan and see how far it takes me,” Yin said. “Tomorrow is going to be tough. I almost think it's tougher than the match play itself. Only eight people get to go on, and you could be out there playing in a playoff with 10 people. Hopefully, I do well enough where I don't have to do that. I don't want to walk extra.”
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