YANI TSENG LOOKS FORWARD TO A SUCCESSFUL RETURN TO MALAYSIA NEXT WEEK
KUALA LUMPUR, 14 October 2010 – Yani Tseng, the youngest player in LPGA history to win three Major championships, is relishing the opportunity to return to Malaysia when she competes in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia next week. The tournament will be played from 22 to 24 October 2010 at the serene Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) and will feature a star-studded field of golfers and the best in the women’s game at the moment including the current top 10 players on the Official Money List.
21-year-old Tseng, who experienced her first competitive action overseas as part of the Taiwan national team in Malaysia at the age of 12, said “I am really looking forward to playing in the tournament in Malaysia. I think I have a good chance to win because I love playing tournaments in Asia and I tend to feel like I am playing in my home country with all the cultures, food and friends around. It will help me feel very comfortable on the golf course it is safe to say that I will be having fun”, said Tseng during a conference call today.
When asked who she thought her strongest competitor would be at the tournament next week, she said, “I think everybody in the field has a chance to win the tournament but my biggest competitor would probably have to be me. I just need to be confident and have a good attitude in order to win the tournament. I feel that this year, there are many good players who are playing well on Tour and they come from all over the world which is really good to see. Everyone is working so hard to be No.1.”
Enjoying an excellent season indeed, Tseng has claimed three titles on the LPGA Tour this year – the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the RICOH Women’s British Open and the recent P&G NW Arkansas Championship. However, she says that all she wants is to enjoy her golf. “Actually, in my first year on Tour, I didn’t really think about being so successful or about winning three Majors. I just try to have faith in myself and to always do my best and to keep working hard to match the best players in the world. I still have a long way to go so I will continue to keep lots of faith in myself,” she said.
She added - “I think the best way to play good golf is to have fun and not to think too much. When I’m not worried about things, I tend to play better than I would have expected. That’s always my goal, to just have fun and to try not to worry – to just grip and rip it!” she quipped.
Having won the LPGA Championship in 2008 at just 19 years of age, setting records as the youngest player to win the tournament and the second-youngest player to win an LPGA major, Tseng feels that she is capable of raising her game further. “My goal is to be the world No.1. I don’t know about [achieving that] this year but I wish to be the world No.1 within the next two years.”
Tseng is also confident that tournaments like Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia will grow the profile of golf in the region, especially amongst girls. “It is great because we get to meet juniors and the kids and work with them in their golf…the fans also get to see all the best golfers in their own country,” she shared.
The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, which will feature a prize purse of US$1.8 million, is a three-day stroke play event with no cut, ensuring that players are in Kuala Lumpur for the tournament duration and the local and regional golf community can catch their favourite golfers in action the entire week.
For more information on the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, please visit the event website - http://simedarbylpgamalaysia.com/index.php.
Follow the event on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sime-Darby-LPGA-Malaysia/133534379995100?ref=sgm and Twitter - http://twitter.com/simedarbylpga.