Golf has been taking off in China, as have some of their professional players. Ruoning Yin is no exception. Born in Shanghai, China on September 28th, 2002. The 21 year old started playing golf at the age of 10 and won several amateur events in China.
Her Ladies Professional Golf Association Career
The 5’2” powerhouse started her professional career winning 3 consecutive times on the China LPGA tour, being the first player to achieve that feat. In 2019 she won nine amateur titles including the China National Amateur Championship. Once she became professional in 2020, she won her first three China Ladies Professional Golf Association Championship, which was the most in the history of that specific tour.
On the LPGA tour in 2022 she played with Tour winners Ayaka Furure and Brooke Henderson, two of the more seasoned players. She kept up with them on the third round was at -7, just one stroke behind Ayaka, and one ahead of Brooke, and only trailing 3 behind the leaders in the Portland Classic.
She stayed humble, stating –
“They are the best players in the world, so I still can learn a lot of things from them”.
In 2021, Yin finished T4 and earned Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour Membership for 2022. Though a daunting task, she gives credit to her mom for helping her drive through her fear.
“I got to thank my mom for that, because we been talking a lot about the mental (side of the game), I told her how stressful I play on the Tour, and she just goes, you have to enjoy it.”
She ended up making only two cuts in her first nine starts, an impressive accomplishment. After that, at the Dana Open, she shot a first round 65 and made top of an LPGA leaderboard for her first time.
Ruoning reached number 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking in Florida late September 2023, being the 18th different player to do that. She is the second player from China to get to number 1 since the Rolex rankings started back in 2006. She is also the third player to do that at age 20 or younger, showing a remarkable amount of potential.
She also moved from number 2 to 1 at the Kroger Queen City Championship after a solo third place finish, beating Lilia Vu. This marks her third top three finish in a row.
Now she has her eyes on the Olympics
“It’s already giving me goosebumps, I feel a bit of pressure to compete because I feel like if you finish outside the top three, you miss the cut, but I will try to enjoy it because it’s my first time-enjoy the journey and the process and try not to focus on the result.”
She is now getting recognized on the street when she visits her mother’s hometown. She is quickly becoming a favorite in China to broaden their sport expertise. Ruoning skills and passion for golf have taken her far, as well as her equipment.
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