CROMVOIRT, Netherlands – Angel Yin let it be known Wednesday afternoon inside the interview room at Bernardus Golf.
“I’m feeling great,” Yin said. “Thanks for asking.”
But what about her game? After all, Yin has played just one tournament since late June as she’s dealt with severe stomach issues that have sapped her of her strength and endurance.
“I guess everybody has different opinions,” Yin said. “I personally think it’s not bad. Every day, it’s getting better. So, yeah, I guess it’s like art, right? Everybody has a different opinion (laughing). But results just are the only thing that matters, right?”
Yin admits that her 81-76 and tied-for-last finish at the FM Championship a couple weeks ago wasn’t ideal. But she’s been doing everything she can to quickly improve. On Wednesday, she played the front nine by herself, starting at 9:30 a.m., and then joined up with Alison Lee, Megan Khang and Yealimi Noh for the back nine.
Lee walked away both impressed and with a little less money, as Yin and Noh beat Lee and Khang in their game.
“I’m not going to lie, she’s been one of the hardest working girls here this week,” Lee said. “She’s going out there, playing a bunch of extra holes, spending extra time getting the reps in and practice in.”
Yin revealed last month that she’s lost 35 pounds during her ordeal. She joked that she’s received more congratulations than anything this week, as she looks noticeably slimmer.
“Watch out, everybody,” Yin quipped. “Just won’t be going out in any crop top.”
More seriously, Yin not only brings experience to the U.S. team room – she’s 5-3-1 in three previous Solheim Cups – but she injects loads of positive energy into her teammates and captains. Still, Yin realized that wouldn’t erase bad golf, which is why she kept Stanford in the loop with her health battle.
Lilia Vu is on site as an alternate, though Stanford noted on Tuesday that she expects Yin to play.
“I wanted to be honest because I would never jeopardize America,” Yin said. “So, I had honest talks with myself in the mirror and with my team, and obviously with Angela because she’s the only other person, other than my family, that I’ve updated throughout all of this. We have a clear idea of what it is, and so, yeah, we all agreed on this. … I had my caddie ask her for me, ‘Do you want me here?’ And if she said no, I wouldn’t be here. But she said yes.
“So, I think with belief like that and confidence from her to back me, why wouldn’t I show up?”