Pebble Beach, California, United States: While Yin Ruoning continued to bask in the warm glow of her first Major title, Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan was brushing shoulders with a bona fide golfing legend.
Less than a fortnight after her victory in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, China’s Yin is among the favourites at this week’s US Women’s Open.
Among those joining her in the starting line-up at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links is Chinese-Taipei’s Huang, the 2022 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) champion.
Still an amateur, 18-year-old Huang earned her first US Women's Open appearance after shooting a seven-under-par total of 137 in a 36-hole qualifier at Marin Country Club.
To make this week even more memorable, Huang spent some time during Monday’s practice round in the company of none other than Swedish great Annika Sorenstam.
Along with fellow-amateur Krissy Carman of the United States, Huang was photographed on the seventh tee with World Golf Hall of Fame member Sorenstam, a three-time US Women's Open champion (1995, 1996, 2006) and 10-time Major winner.
Huang’s appearance at Pebble Beach continues what has been a busy year to date for the teenager who has committed to play for The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) this fall.
She placed fifth individually in the Queen Sirikit Cup in the Philippines in February and ninth in her WAAP title defence in Singapore in March. At the start of April, she tied for 22nd in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She remained in America and competed in the LPGA’s first Major of 2023, the Chevron Championship, where she missed the half-way cut.
Following the US Women’s Open, Huang’s next assignment will be as a member of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) team for the Patsy Hankins Trophy, a Solheim Cup-style team match play tournament against the European Golf Association, to be held at the La Manga Club in Spain (August 3-5).
Another member of that APGC line-up who is participating at Pebble Beach this week is Australian Maddison Hinson-Tolchard.
The Oklahoma State All-American qualified for her first US Women's Open by earning medallist honours at Indian Creek Golf Club's Creeks Course where she recorded a 36-hole score of eight-under-par 136.
While Huang and Hinson-Tolchard are still contemplating their golfing career paths, Yin is now looking to build on her newly-minted Major status.
In winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Yin became only the second mainland Chinese golfer to win a professional Major championship, following Feng Shanshan who won the same title 11 years ago.
Now Yin, who represented China in the Queen Sirikit Cup in Thailand in 2018, has the appetite for adding to her trophy cabinet.
Speaking at Pebble Beach on Monday, she said: “I definitely want to win some more (Majors). I think for me, I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot right now. My game is quite spot-on and my mentality is pretty strong. I'm looking forward to winning more!”
When pressed on how many Major wins she is targeting, Yin paused briefly before responding: “Good question. I guess at least five. Five Majors.”
