Angel Yin was tested down the stretch in the final round of the LPGA Thailand tournament, but managed to hold on by a stroke over a hard charging Akie Iwai to claim her second tour title Sunday.
The talk of the tournament was Iwai’s final round of 61, but it would be the 26-year-old American who sat atop the leaderboard when all was said and done. Yin made seven birdies and no bogeys for a four-round total of 28-under (260) at the Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.
“I wasn’t that comfortable because Akie shot 10-under the first day and this course is very gettable,” Yin told reporters following her round. “So I just had to keep my head down.”
The win is Yin’s first victory on tour since the 2023 Buick LPGA Tournament in Shanghai. Her previous best finish at the Thailand event was a tie for third back in 2021.
Rounding out the top five on Sunday was a trio of Thai golfers in Jeeno Thitikul, Patty Tavatanakit, and Moriya Jutanugarn. For her efforts, Yin took home $255,000 in prize money, along with 500 points towards the Race to the CME Globe challenge.
While the LPGA continues its Asian swing, Iwai will take some time off following her second tournament as an LPGA Tour member. The promising rookie’s next scheduled start will come at the Ford Championship in late March.
Photo: AJGA Golf. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.