Yani Tseng, in Taiwan on vacation after the conclusion of the US LPGA golf season, described her year on the Tour as going “from hell to heaven,” ultimately ending up as an especially “fruitful” year.
Tseng, who finished the season ranked fifth in the world and seventh on the US LPGA Tour’s money list with winnings of US$1.29 million, said that while her year began well, she went into a bad slump in the middle of the season, starting with the US Women’s Open in July when she failed to make the cut.
Tseng, named US LPGA Rookie of the Year last year, said it never occurred to her that she could perform so poorly.
“I have always thought that I could win the US Open,” she said.
Her performance this year at the Saucon Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania was particularly surprising to her because she was in good shape and likes the golf course.
Following that disaster, Tseng failed to crack the top 20 in her next four events and the unprecedented failure took its toll on her mentally.
“I thought of quitting then,” she admitted.
Those thoughts, however, vanished later in the year. She had two top 15 finishes in September and then she concluded the year with five consecutive top 10 finishes, beginning with a fourth place finish at the Navistar Classic last month.
“If the two low months are eliminated, then my performance this year was pretty good,” she said, believing she had emerged stronger after experiencing her lows.
In Taiwan for a one-month vacation, Tseng is now looking forward to playing in a local golf tournament early next year, the first time she will tee up in tournament play in front of her home fans since January last year.
Tseng and Taiwan’s three other US LPGA mainstays — Teresa Lu, Amy Hung and Candie Kung — are all scheduled to take part in the Taihong Golf Open in Changhua from Jan. 15 to Jan. 17.
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