Passing the Torch: Angel Yin and her Los Angeles roots
By Kaylee Smith
TARZANA, Calif. - As the Masters came to an exciting end this past weekend, with Rory McIlroy not only taking home the win but also earning his career Grand Slam title, the golf focus shifts from Augusta to Los Angeles. The LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro is set to begin this upcoming Thursday, and this year the tournament has a special focus.
The Los Angeles community was hit hard this past January from the Palisades and Eaton fires. The JM Eagle LA Championship is focused on helping the fire relief efforts; Arcadia resident and LPGA Tour winner, Angel Yin, recounted the devastating moments and damages caused by the fires.
“When you're running from the fire because it's coming so fast you can't really grab everything. You see all these people who have just like their clothes they ran away with. All of a sudden, the next day they think they're going to come back for stuff and the house is gone. It's unimaginable,” Yin said during her pre-tournament press conference.
Community is very important to Yin. Born and raised in Los Angeles County, the city has great meaning to her: it is home. During her press conference on Tuesday, Yin walked up to the microphone in a Dodgers cap. With the tournament having a community message and purpose to help Los Angeles residents, Yin knew the city had the resilience and unity to rebuild together.
“I don't have an obligation to wear a hat by a sponsor, and so I'm just happy to wear whatever I like and personally want to represent… I'm really proud of where I come from.”
In her Arcadian roots, Yin had the opportunity to play junior golf as a kid, and pursue her love of the sport in a competitive environment early on.
“Growing up in California I played in a lot of SCPGA…[the] majority of the SoCal girls who made it out on Tour played through that tour,” Yin says.
Once a young kid with aspiring dreams of playing on the Tour, Yin remembers the feeling of playing with the Southern California Professional Golf Association (SCPGA). Having the chance to “Play with the Pros” and play the front nine with a player on Tour was a treasure trove.
“You're essentially thinking you're playing with the next LPGA Tour champion or Tour member. It's really, really cool to just play with the next generation.”
Reflecting on how that felt when she was young, Yin on Tuesday gave back to the program that gave her so much. Now a LPGA Tour Champion herself, she has now become the pro that a younger golfer could play alongside.
Isabella Wu, a 16-year-old from Palos Verdes, Calif., is currently on the SCPGA Junior Team; a position that Yin was in many years ago. The girls had the chance to play nine holes with each other and share some laughs and wisdom together. Wu’s father, Simon Wu, was walking the course with them, enjoying watching his daughter play. He shared how proud he was of Isabella, and knows how hard she works and practices by the calluses on her hands. As someone who goes to all her matches and travels with her, this father-daughter bond is unmatched.
“It’s not easy for a teenage girl to spend all her time with Dad. I’m just grateful for the time we have together,” tells Simon Wu.
Isabella is competing in the AJGA Lake Charles Junior Championship in Louisiana April 17-18. Simon Wu noted that after the front nine with Yin, they’re leaving straight to the airport to prepare for the weekend.
Focusing on her own upcoming tournament, Yin’s goals are to play well, adjust to the greens, and to enjoy the course. The sport is a lot of luck, in her opinion.
“I mean, I wish I could tell you something groundbreaking but it's just golf.”
The JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro will take place at El Caballero Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif., April 17-20. The opening round starts Thursday at 3:00 pm PT.
