Yin becomes women’s golf world No. 1
WASHINGTON: China’s Yin Ruoning became the world number one in women’s golf on Sunday by finishing third at the LPGA Queen City Championship.
The 20-year-old became only the second Chinese woman to claim the world number one ranking after Feng Shanshan, who reached the summit from November 2017 to April 2018.
“It means a lot. For me it’s like dream come true. I’ve got goosebumps. World number one is the big step on the way to chasing Shanshan,” Yin said.
Yin will play on a Chinese team coached by Feng in the Asian Games, which open on Sept 23 on home soil at Hangzhou.
“I didn’t get a lot of chance to chat with Shanshan. But I’m looking forward to going back to China and play the Asian Games and spend more time with her, considering she’s the head coach on our national team,” Yin said.
Yin, who needed a top-four result to overtake American Lilia Vu for the top spot, missed out by two strokes on a playoff for the Queen City title between Australia’s Minjee Lee, who won the title with a birdie on the second extra hole, and England’s Charley Hull.
But Yin fired a final-round five-under par 67 to finish third on 14-under 274 at Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, and become the fifth different player atop the rankings this year.
“It’s just amazing. My mind is blank right now,” Yin said.
Second-ranked Yin won her first major title in June at the Women’s PGA Championship, two months after collecting her first LPGA victory at the LA Open.
Others atop the rankings this year included New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, Americans Vu and Nelly Korda and South Korea’s Ko Jin-young.
Vu’s three triumphs this year included major wins at the Chevron Championship in April and the Women’s British Open in August.
Yin never managed to share the lead, settling for her fourth third-place finish in five events, but did what she needed to leap to the top of the rankings.
“I’m pretty comfortable,” Yin said. “Just every week I know I’m in good spot and every week I can put myself into that winning circle. It’s just amazing to see I can play good, but also consistent.”