Ruoning Yin Wins Buick LPGA Shanghai, Choi Falls Short

Ruoning Yin waited out Hye-Jin Choi all Sunday in Shanghai, then took the Buick LPGA Shanghai with back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17. The Chinese star shot a final-round 68 at Sheshan Golf Club to finish at 11-under 277, one shot ahead of Choi, in front of a home crowd that was loud the whole way.

It is Yin's seventh LPGA title, her second of the season, and her second in Shanghai after she won this event in 2024. The 24-year-old's previous start on tour was a win at the FM Championship in Boston in August, so this is back-to-back LPGA wins.

How Yin chased down Choi at Sheshan

Choi started Sunday with a one-shot lead over Amy Yang, playing alongside Yang and Yin. She birdied the fourth to get to 10-under and looked in control for a while. Then came consecutive bogeys at the par-4 seventh and par-5 eighth, and Yin pulled even with a birdie at the 10th.

From there it was a two-player duel. Both birdied the par-3 12th, and they were still tied through 15. Yin missed a 10-foot birdie try on 15, then made a four-footer for birdie on the par-4 16th to take the lead. She added another birdie at the par-3 17th to go up two, and that was the tournament. Choi birdied the par-5 18th, Yin saved par, and the margin ended at one. Four of Yin's five birdies on the day came on her back nine.

Yin, ranked sixth in the world, earned $480,000 for the win. Her big takeaway, per The Straits Times, was staying patient, and on a day when she trailed early, that is exactly how it played out.

Another near miss for Hye-Jin Choi

This one hurts for Choi. She led after every round before Sunday and closed with a 1-under 71 for a 10-under 278 total. It was her fifth career runner-up finish on the LPGA Tour, in her 124th start, and she is still looking for her first win.

Per Yonhap, Choi came into the week with just over $7.2 million in LPGA career earnings, the most of any player without a victory. She piled up double-digit wins on the KLPGA before joining the LPGA Tour in 2022, so the talent is not the question. Closing is.

Amy Yang finished third at 8-under after a 72, and Japan's Rio Takeda was fourth at 7-under after a 69.

Next stop on the Asian swing

The LPGA Tour heads to South Korea next, with the BMW Ladies Championship in Haenam starting Thursday. Choi gets another crack in her home country right away, and Yin shows up as the hottest player on the tour. If you are making picks for Haenam, start with the player who has won her last two starts.