Angel Yin claims second career LPGA win with clutch 18th-hole birdie

In her ninth season as an LPGA pro, Angel Yin had only one win on her resume prior to Sunday: the 2023 Buick LPGA Shanghai. But she’s had a couple of close calls in big events in her quest to add to that tally, perhaps most notably at the 2023 Chevron Championship, where she co-held the 54-hole lead and finished second, and the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship, where she also co-led through three rounds only to finish runner-up.

On Sunday at the 2025 Honda LPGA Thailand, though, things finally went Yin’s way.

The 26-year-old American had a five-shot lead heading into the final round and managed to hold off a charging Akie Iwai, a rookie, who challenged Yin with a sizzling final-round 61, besting her opening-round score of 62 by one shot. Iwai finished one shot behind Yin at 27 under par. Jeeno Thitikul was third at 21 under par.

Yin’s bogey-free Sunday round of 65 included seven birdies, which should have enabled her to coast to victory. But pressure from Iwai’s round meant Yin had to sink a clutch birdie by making a short putt on the 18th hole to seal the win — and she did.

Yin’s four-round tally of 28 under par set a new tournament scoring record and is the lowest 72-hole score in relation to par on the LPGA Tour since Lydia Ko’s performance at the 2021 Lotte Championship.

“I’ve never played the final round with a five-shot lead,” Yin said after her round. “I knew I wasn’t super comfortable. It’s not a tournament or golf course where five shots is a lot. Considering that Akie shot Thursday 10-under, I knew she was able and capable of shooting a low score.

“I knew I just needed to keep playing how I was playing and we’ll see what happens,” she continued. “My physio said if it’s mine, it’s mine. I think it’s mine.”

With the win, Yin claimed the $255,000 winner’s check and surged to the top of the Race to the CME Globe ranking.

Next week, the LPGA Tour’s Asian swing continues in Singapore for the HSBC Women’s World Championship, followed by a stop in China before returning to the U.S. for the Ford Championship in Arizona on March 27.