Taiwan's Tseng Ya-ni, a rookie on the US Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour, has already emerged as a potential star after her first three official tournaments this season, with her goal of becoming "rookie of the year" no longer a distant dream.
Tseng finished second to Swede Louise Friberg, another rookie on tour, by one stroke at the MasterCard Classic in Mexico last week to score her second top 10 finish of the year in three tries. In the season opener, she finished eighth at the SBS Open in Hawaii.
With her two strong finishes, Tseng is currently ranked seventh on the money list with US$152,696, seventh in the Rolex Player of the Year standings with 15 points, and second in the the Rolex Rookie of the Year race, trailing only Friberg.
PHOTO: AP
For an 18-year-old rookie who only earned her tour exemption at a qualifying tournament last year, Tseng's fast start has caught the attention of her peers and women's golf observers.
But golf experts in Taiwan are not at all surprised.
"Tseng is such a talented and confident player that we expect her to win with ease at least one or two championships and the Rookie of the Year title for the season" said Angie Tsai, a veteran professional golfer and chairwoman of the Taiwan Ladies Professional Golf Association.
Tseng is long off the tee, averaging 280 yards on her drives, and hits accurate irons, Tsai said. If she has a weakness, it would be her short putting game.
Tsai is particularly impressed by Tseng's poise under pressure and her ability to manage her game, noting that she has claimed Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel among her victims.
"I'm really not intimidated by Michelle," said Tseng after beating Wie by one up to win the 2004 US Women's Amateur Public Links Championship when she was 15.
That lack of fear is a special trait that makes Tseng a tough competitor, Tsai said.
Of course, it's still too early to know how Tseng will do over the long grind of the LPGA season, but there is little doubt she is positioned to advance to a new level in this early stage of her young professional career.
Tseng's next major challenge will be the Kraft Nabisco Championship, women's golf first major of the year, to be played in California three weeks from now and she is not short on confidence.
"At Nabisco, I can learn how to jump in the water, " she said, referring to the traditional dive the tourney's winner takes into the pond near the 18th green.
Tseng apparently believes she's got a chance, and after the way she has started this year, it is hard to doubt her.
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
RSS