Angel Yin’s remarkable turnaround in 2023 hit another high note Thursday at Tiburon Golf Club, where she fired a scorching 7-under 65 in the opening round of the CME Group Tour Championship.
She’s just one shot off the lead and eyeing the massive $4 million winner’s check.
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It’s been quite a journey for the 25-year-old, who couldn’t even play golf until April this year because of a broken ankle.
“I just need to trust myself,” Yin said, reflecting on how she turned her season around. That advice came from golf legend Juli Inkster during a casual round together.
The transformation has been stunning. After struggling through most of the summer without a single top-30 finish and missing out on the Olympics – something she called “spiritually demoralizing” – Yin found her groove in August. She’s racked up five top-10 finishes in her last nine tournaments.
Thursday’s round wasn’t perfect at the start. She made two bogeys in her first four holes.
But then she caught fire, rolling in seven birdies and an eagle the rest of the way.
This hot streak comes after what was already a profitable 2023. Yin won the Aon Risk Reward Challenge and its $1 million bonus, adding to her $1.7 million in tournament earnings.
That money changed things for her. “It gave me freedom,” she said, explaining how it helped her build a proper support team and attract new sponsors – especially helpful when she was sidelined with that ankle injury.
But don’t expect her to go on a shopping spree if she wins this week’s $4 million prize.
“I’m really happy with my life now,” Yin said. “I have everything I need. It would just be about having even bigger financial freedom and being able to support the people around me. That’s what I like to do in life.”
She’s taken control of her game in unique ways too. She started reading her own wind conditions and making more on-course decisions – “everything a caddie would do, other than carry the bag.”
