FM Championship week began with U.S. captain Angela Stanford selecting Rose Zhang, Megan Khang and Lindy Duncan as the final three members of her team to travel to the Netherlands in two weeks. But while Stanford’s roster was technically completed on Monday, one big question remained.
One that took center stage during the first two days of the FM Championship at TPC Boston.
Angel Yin, who made the U.S. Solheim Cup team on points, withdrew from the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June and hasn’t played since. Yin told Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols that she had stomach and gastrointestinal problems that caused her to lose 35 pounds. After two months away from competitive golf, Yin returned this week at the FM Championship for a trial run to see how her game feels and if she believes she’s fit to play in the Netherlands.
As expected, Yin’s game was rusty upon return. Down 35 pounds, Yin lost muscle and distance and struggled on Thursday at TPC Boston. She hit just six of 14 fairways and six of 18 greens while making nine bogeys and zero birdies en route to a first-round 81. She was a tad better in Friday’s second round, hitting eight of 14 fairways and seven of 18 greens while shooting a 4-over 76. Yin was last in the field through 36 holes and missed the weekend in Boston. She will not have another chance to show Stanford that her game and body are ready to help the Americans try to win their first Solheim Cup on European soil since 2015.
“Overall, I think on that aspect, I did OK,” Yin told Golf Digest’s Jill Painter Lopez. “I struggled with the consistency. I’ve had some great people text me after the round and say it’s a process. I’m doing this for myself and showing up. My caddie has been there and was super supportive. My team is super supportive and obviously a lot of people.”
Even after missing nearly two months of competition, the 27-year-old Yin still finished second on the American points list behind World No. 1 Nelly Korda. On paper, Yin is a vital piece to any chance the Americans have of winning in the Netherlands. She was a captain’s pick in 2017 and 2023 and qualified via world rankings points in 2019. She has a career 5-3-1 record in the Solheim Cup.
But the question that remains is whether Yin’s body and game are in a place where she can be a valuable piece in the Netherlands. That she teed it up in Boston was a positive sign, but two rounds with zero birdies did little to answer the question looming above the Americans.
“If I feel I’m not fit for the team, I’m going to let her know,” Yin told Nichols earlier this week. “The last thing I want to do is drag the team down.”
Yin has been in constant communication with Stanford about her health and the status of her game. Asked earlier this week whether she thinks Yin will make the trip to the Netherlands, Stanford noted the importance of this week in Boston and how Yin’s body responds to being out there for the first time in two months.
“We’ve been taking it day by day with Angel, and she made the team on her own. She deserves to be on this team. We all want Angel on the team,” Stanford said. “We’re giving her the opportunity to play and see where she, and we agreed, ‘let’s play Boston, and then let’s reassess.”
Yin told Painter Lopez that she was unsure if she would play if the decision had to be made this week. But she won’t be on the plane to the Netherlands if she doesn’t plan to play.
A tough decision looms for Yin, Stanford and the Americans. After two rusty rounds in Boston, that decision will arrive faster than anyone thinks. And how it’s answered will play a big role in what happens in the Netherlands.
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