Yin claims historic All Thailand Tour women's trophy

The 21-year-old from Yangon shot a 74 in the final round of the Singha Championship at the par-71, 6,211-yard Rayong Green Valley Country Club yesterday, beating Chommapat Phongthanarak of Thailand by three strokes.

“I am the happiest person in the world.  Everybody in my family back at home is so happy,” said Yin, who joined the tour last year. Yin, who shot a three-day score of five over-par 218, became the first non-Thai to win a title since the women’s category began in 2006. Her previous best was a fourth position in the Chiang Mai Open last August.

“The big turnaround was on the second day. I hit my irons well and made birdies when I got the chance. In fact, I didn’t feel comfortable with my swing and my irons a couple of weeks ago. So I worked really hard with my coach before the tournament, and it paid off,” said Yin, who won Bt32,000, the biggest purse of her career.

Yin played on the men’s tour back home whenever she got a chance. Since there was no professional tour for women in Myanmar, Yin decided to move to Bangkok last year to pursue a career. “I played twice on the men’s tournament after I turned professional. My goal is to play on the LPGA but I have to start winning in Asia, especially on the China Tour,” said Yin.