Jing Yan Edges Anderson and Burnham to Qualify for U.S. Women's Open

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  BECKER, Minn. – With two British amateur major titles and an appearance in the 2012 Ricoh Women’s British Open to her credit, Chinese golfer Jing Yan can add the U.S. Women’s Open to that list after carding an even par 144 Monday at the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying at Pebble Creek Golf Club.

Yan claimed the only qualifying spot in a field of 41 players, edging North Dakota native, Amy Anderson, and Minnesotan Sarah Burnham by one stroke Monday to earn a spot in the championship July 7-10 at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif.

“I started out really well, making a lot of birdies and got to 3-under on the front nine and then struggled a bit on the back nine,” Yan said Monday. “I feel like the back nine on this course is tighter and longer so it was a little tougher and I missed quite a few greens coming in.”

Yan started quickly during the opening round Monday, sinking her long birdie putt on the opening hole before reaching the green in two at the par-5 fifth, where she would two-putt for birdie to get to 2-under.

Chipping in for birdie at the eighth, Yan would turn at 3-under before running into some trouble on back, carding three bogeys as she would finish the first 18 holes at even par 72.

"The second round I thought I needed to play a couple under to pull ahead because I saw some of the scores after I came in. I got off to a slow start—I wasn’t really making any putts and I was leaving everything a few inches short all day. I kept it steady with one birdie and one bogey so I’m pretty happy right now,” she said.

Finding more consistency during the second round Monday, Yan carded a single birdie at the par-5 fifth hole before drawing even with a bogey at the 10th, rolling in eight consecutive pars to card a second straight round of 72, fending off Anderson and Burnham who finished as first and second alternates, respectively.

As an amateur, Yan finished inside the top-50 at the Women’s British Open in 2012 despite carding an opening-round 80, shooting a 3-under par 69 during the second round. Yan made the cut in all five events she started as an amateur. She would win both the Girls’ British Open Amateur Championship and the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship in 2013.

Yan played in just three events for the University of Washington, earning her first collegiate victory in her second start before leaving the top-ranked women’s team to turn pro in December 2014. She finished 34th at Final Qualifying to earn Priority List for the 2015 season, going on to make seven cuts in 14 events on the LPGA Tour.

Amassing more than $90,000 in career winnings, Yan most recently finished tied for 15th at the Yokohama LPGA Classic on May 5 and is currently ranked No. 131 in the Rolex Rankings. Her father and caddy, Yan Ming, was a longtime golf commentator for ESPN Asia.

“I was thinking coming in that shooting a red number would be pretty good,” Yan said of her expectations before the qualifier, “If someone shoots lower than that—there’s nothing you can do. To qualify for the first time, I’m very excited.”

Anderson, West Fargo, N.D., defeated Burnham on the first playoff hole Monday to finish as first alternate after both Anderson and Burnham finished at 1-over par 145.

Following a 3-over par 75 during her opening round, Anderson carded a bogey on the opening hole of the second round before carding three birdies over the next 11 holes, finishing with a 2-under par 70.

Anderson turned professional following her career at North Dakota State University where she holds the school record with 20 victories. In 2014 she made nine cuts in 20 starts with one top-10 finish, earning more than $129,000 on her first full season on the LPGA Tour. Last season Anderson made 14 cuts in 21 events, notching another top-10 finish and earning more than $131,000.

Burnham, Maple Grove, Minn., carded a 73 during the opening round Monday before shooting even par during the second round to finish as second alternate. She qualified for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open, carding a 9-over par 151 in miserable conditions at Windsong Farm.

Shooting 13-over par 153 at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania, Burnham would miss the cut by nine strokes. A sophomore at Michigan State University, Burnham won two events during the 2015-16 season and will compete at the NCAA Championship May 20-25, qualifying as an individual.