China’s Asian Games ladies fire warning shots before attention turns to Hangzhou
- Yin Ruoning shines at Women’s Scottish Open, while Janet Lin Xiyu and Yu Liu play their way into form
- The 20-year-old Yin shoots six-under 66 to finish in third on 12-under 276 in a timely return to form
While there was no victory to celebrate at the US$2 million Freed Group Women’s Scottish Open there were enough warning shots fired by Yin Ruoning and the China contingent to give their Asian Games rivals a fright with the countdown ticking away to next month’s tournament in Hangzhou.
In the end, France’s Celine Boutier never really gave the field a hope at Dundonald Links on Sunday.
She started the day three shots ahead and held the chasing pack at bay to win by two shots at 15-under-par 273 (69-68-66-70).
But behind Boutier there were some quite brilliant rounds played, none more so than that returned by Yin Ruoning, who shot a six-under 66 to finish in third on 12-under 276 (74-69-67-66).
It was a timely return to form for the 20-year-old, who made history by becoming only the second Chinese woman to win a major when she triumphed at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship back in June but who had seen her returns taper off somewhat in more recent tournaments.
Later this week Yin heads to the AIG Women’s Open, being played at the Walton Heath Old Course in Surrey as the last major of the year. But then the Asiad looms large, especially this edition, given it’s on home turf and had been postponed for a year because of the pandemic.
“I feel like my game is coming back,” Yin said. “We have a few tournaments ahead but the Asian Games is going to be a big one. With China hosting, I am super excited and the course is only about three hours from my hometown so that will make it even more special. You just have to look at our team and you know we are super strong.”
Joining the world fifth-ranked Yin at the Westlake International Golf Course for the September 28 to October 1 Asian Games tournament will be Janet Lin Xiyu and Yu Liu, who finished tied for 16th and tied for 20th, respectively, on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Lin is arguably in the form of her career, finishing tied for third at the Women’s PGA and chalking up two other top-10 finishes to be ranked 12th in the world. The 27-year-old Yu has two top-10 finishes this LPGA season after spending last season rebuilding her swing.
The thought of all three of them coming together brought a huge smile from Lin on Sunday, after she had signed for a seven-under 281 (75-68-68-70).
“It’s gonna be the strongest team ever, which will bring a lot of pressure but more excitement, too,” said Lin, who cites the 2010 Asian Games as the event that convinced her that her future lay in golf.
“You never know your schedule as a pro but all three of us are secure on tour so we have just decided to go for it. It’s being played at home for us so that makes it even more special and I know that my game is in great shape and definitely I’m aiming for the gold medal.”
Yu was of the same opinion, after signing for a six-under 282 (72-70-69-71) on Sunday, and she’s fuelled by the added motivation of having never before represented her country in a major international multi-sport event.
“I’m coming off a tough year, working on my swing and struggling a lot, but I can really feel things are coming together now,” said Yu. “Playing at home, in front of the fans, I really want to feel that, and it’s just so exciting. I have never played for my country before like this and I think there must be nothing like that feeling.”
