Yani Tseng is one of the most influential Asian golfers of all time – the Taiwanese star having won five major championships in her career.
Tseng was born in the Guishan District of Taoyuan City in January 1989, and quickly took up the game. She won several amateur tournaments, and was the top-ranked amateur in her home country for a two-year stint before she turned professional at the age of 18.
She would go on to win her first professional title that same year, at the DLF Women’s Indian Open. Her professional career has seen her win 15 times on the LPGA Tour, along with victories on the Ladies European Tour, Ladies Asian Tour, LPGA Tour of Taiwan, LPGA Tour of Australasia and the Canadian Women’s Tour.
Tseng became the youngest golfer, male or female, to reach five major championship wins – doing so by the age of 22. She is a two-time LPGA Championship (now Women’s PGA Championship) and Women’s British Open (now AIG Women’s Open) winner, along with a victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship (now Chevron Championship) as well.
Along with all the records, Tseng spent more than 100 weeks at the top of the Women’s World Rankings. She was World No.1 for more than two years consecutively, from February 2011 to March 2013. Following her victory at the Taifong Ladies Open in 2014, Tseng suffered a downturn in form, dealing with injuries, a drop in confidence and the putting yips. It would be 11 years before she tasted victory again, with that win coming at her home club, as she claimed the Wistron Ladies Open title in October 2025.
Yani Tseng | Player Profile
Personal Information
Name: Yani Tseng
Born: January 23, 1989
Nationality: Taiwan
Residence: Orlando, Florida, United States
Career
Turned Pro: 2007
Professional Wins: 28
Highest World Ranking: 1 – February 4, 2011
Best Results In Majors
Best Finishes:
– Chevron Championship – WON (2010)
– Women’s PGA Championship – WON (2008, 2011)
– US Women’s Open – T10 (2010)
– Amundi Evian Championship – T36 (2016)
– AIG Women’s Open – WON (2010, 2011)
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Professional Wins – 28
2007 (3) – DLF Women’s Indian Open, TLPGA Tour Nan-Fong Tournament at Nan-Fong Golf Club, CN Canadian Women’s Tour at Vancouver Golf Club
2008 (2) – Royal Ladies Open, McDonald’s LPGA Championship
2009 (1) – LPGA Corning Classic
2010 (5) – Taifong Ladies Open, Handa Women’s Australian Open, Kraft Nabisco Championship, Women’s British Open, P&G NW Arkansas Championship
2011 (12) – Taifong Ladies Open, ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, ANZ RACV Ladies Masters, Honda LPGA Thailand, LPGA State Farm Classic, Wegmans LPGA Championship, Ricoh Women’s British Open, Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, LPGA Hana Bank Championship, Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship
2012 (3) – Honda LPGA Thailand, RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, Kia Classic
2014 (1) – Taifong Ladies Open
2025 (1) – Wistron Ladies Open
Achievements and Awards
LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year – 2008
GWAA Female Player of the Year – 2010, 2011
LPGA Tour Player of the Year – 2010, 2011
LPGA Vare Trophy – 2011
LPGA Tour Money Winner – 2011
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Yani Tseng
When and where was Yani Tseng born?
Yani Tseng in January 1989 in the Guishan District of Taoyuan City in Taiwan. She took up the game from a young age, and would go on to be the top-ranked amateur in the country, all in her teenage years.
When did Yani Tseng turn professional?
Yani Tseng turned professional in 2007, at the age of 18, and she claimed her first professional victory within just a few months. That would be the start of her amazing career.
How many major titles has Yani Tseng won?
Yani Tseng is a five-time major winner, with victories in three of the five women’s majors. She has won the LPGA Championship (now Women’s PGA Championship) and the Women’s British Open (now AIG Women’s Open) on two occasions, with a win at the Kraft Nabisco Championship (now Chevron Championship) in there as well! Those five wins are part of a career that has seen Tseng win 28 times worldwide.
Did you Know?
TWELVE Win Season
Tseng’s 2011 campaign was one for the ages. In total, she won twelve times across five different tours, including a pair of major victories – winning the Wegmans LPGA Championship and the Ricoh Women’s British Open. Unsurprisingly, with seven of those wins coming on the LPGA Tour, Tseng was named LPGA Tour Player of the Year for the second year running. Seven wins in an LPGA season, although not the record, has only since been matched by Nelly Korda in 2024.
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Taiwanese Golfing History
With her victory at the LPGA Championship in 2008, Tseng became the first Taiwanese player to win a major, male or female. She remains the only Taiwanese major champion to this day.
Youngest to Five Majors
Tseng remains the youngest golfer, male or female, to win five major championships. Those five wins all came in a three-year stretch, and the Taiwanese star was only 22 years of age when she won the Ricoh Women’s British Open in 2011.
A Century of Consecutive Weeks
Tseng stood atop the Women’s World Golf Rankings for 109 weeks consecutively, from February 2011 to March 2013. In doing so, she is one of just three women – alongside Lorena Ochoa and Jin Young Ko – to have been World No.1 for 100 straight weeks or more.
Swing with the Right, Putt with the Left?
Following her dip in form, and admitting that she had the putting yips, Tseng amazingly opted to switch hands completely with her putting stroke. She now puts left-handed, despite playing the game as a right-hander.
ELEVEN Years Later…
That dip in form wasn’t a short one… The Taiwanese star went more than a decade without a victory. The run finally ended at the 2025 Wistron Ladies Open, which was taking place at her home club in Taiwan, as she won by four shots in a shortened, 36-hole competition.
Just how good has Yani Tseng been throughout her golfing career? Let us know your thoughts on the Taiwanese star with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
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