Angel Yin shot a final-round 70 and then edged Lilian Vu in a playoff to claim her first LPGA Tour trophy at the Buick LPGA Shangai.
After a third-round 65, Yin entered Sunday’s finale in communist China tied for the lead at -12 with Maja Stark. The 25-year-old American produced a 1-under par on the front to turn on 13 under, and tied with Vu, who was playing in the penultimate grouping, one hole ahead.
On her homeward nine, Yin was flawless with eight pars and one birdie to shoot 70 and finish on 14 under par, deadlocked with Vu.
In the playoff, both players hit the fairway, and both had birdie looks. But a miss by Vu gave Yin a chance to seal the deal with a birdie. As the ball dropped, Yin felt the relief of finding the winner’s circle on the LPGA.
“Honestly, I’m still living in the moment so much that I haven’t been able to draw on the past to think about the journey and where I am right now,” said Yin.
“I’m still so much in the present, and I think sometime golf you have to be like that. That’s where I am right now.
“If I can just give you an answer that’s in the back of my head, it’s always very special, and throughout the round I was thinking to myself, it’s not easy to win. It’s not easy to win. Just very grateful.
“Honestly, 18 that bunker where I was in, anything could have happened, but I was very fortunate to have a very good lie and was able to hit a good shot and everything played out the way it played out. It’s been a special week.”
Vu finished with a 68 to secure solo second.
“I made a lot of mistakes today, to be honest, and I felt like this was definitely not my A-game, but I knew that the more I play the golf course the better I get at it, and I knew I had a good chance today,” admitted Vu. “Today was just Angel’s day. I’m happy for her.”
Five players finished in a tie for third, including Hye-Jin Choi, who was first to close at -13 after an 8-under 64, her lowest 18-hole score since her career-best 63 in the second round of the 2022 CPKC Women’s Open. Choi went bogey-free, notching eight birdies including four straight from Nos. 8-11.
Yu Liu earned her third-straight top-10 finish in the Buick LPGA Shanghai, and ended the week as the top player from the People’s Rep. of China among 22 featured in the field.
