On February 25, Beijing time, the LPGA Tour came to Chonburi, Thailand, and the Honda Thailand Tour started today. The game totaled $1.6 million in prize money, played at Siem Country Golf Club.
Zeng Yani, who won 15 championships in LPGA, returned to Thailand this week. She was the only double champion in the event that began in 2006, winning two consecutive games in 2011 and 2012. She also hopes to perform well this week.
Zeng Yani had a slow start in the 2016 season. She failed to advance in the LPGA event in the Bahamas and tied for 60th place in the Australian Women's Open.
Maybe this week, she will have different performances at Siam Country Club, after all, she has won two championships here before. Many people think that Zeng Yani's football skills are very suitable for this stadium. In response, Zeng Yani said, "This stadium is indeed suitable for people with long teeing distances, but you need a good strategy for the second shot. The green is difficult. It tests people's comprehensive ability, especially patience."
Zeng Yani was deeply impressed by the stadium. She thought the end hole was very suspense, which made the game even more exciting. "The last four holes are very difficult," said Zeng Yani. "It's great." The 15th hole is the shortest par 4, the 16th hole is the longest par 3, the 17th hole is a difficult par 4, and the last hole is the par 5 where you have the chance to catch birds or even play the Hawks. The last four holes can bring about a very big change in the performance list.
This change brought good memories to Zeng Yani. In 2012, she scored 73 in the first round, but in the next three rounds, she scored 65-65-66 and caught the bird on the last hole, allowing her to beat the 2010 championship champion Gong Lilan with one shot and won the championship.
"In the game that year, I played in the same group as Gong Lilan, and she caught birding on the 17th hole, so did I. Facing a 6-foot putt, I was very stressed, and I was very happy to push that shot myself. On the last hole, I was thinking, you must catch birds. I swung 52 degrees from a hole 100 yards away, and I almost hit the ball in!
Zeng Yani is a long-distance player, with good patience and balance, but at the same time, birding requires opportunity. Playing on this stadium requires patience. You can win the game at about -15 every year.
27-year-old Zeng Yani, once the world's number one, she has been in the world's number one for 109 weeks and is also the most successful Chinese female player to date. In the past four years, she has been away from the championship.
After a period of adjustment, Zeng Yani has changed to a new coach and has been working with her team. Now she can see some signs of recovery: in 2015, her best record was tied for two runner-ups. She is only one step away from the championship.
She looks forward to returning to the championship list, and Thailand may be a good opportunity. In this game, two Chinese mainland players Feng Shanshan and Lin Xiyu also participated.
On Thursday, the first round of the game, Zeng Yani kicked the ball at 11:39 am, Feng Shanshan at 10:55 am, and Lin Xiyu kicked the ball at 10:33 am.
