GALLOWAY, New Jersey (AFP) ― World No. 1 Yani Tseng heads a strong field for this week’s LPGA ShopRite Classic, the final tuneup for the LPGA Classic, the second major of the women’s golf season.
Taiwan’s Tseng, winner of three titles this year, is coming off a third-round exit a fortnight ago in the Sybase Match Play Championship won by Azahara Munoz of Spain.
Even with that setback, Tseng leads the LPGA money list by more than $300,000. She is at No. 1 in the world for the 68th straight week.
Tseng, who now lives in Orlando, Florida, in a house once owned by Swedish Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, was the only golfer in Time Magazine’s recently published “100 Most Influential People in the World” list.
Her effervescent personality along with her golf skills have made her one of the world’s most marketable sportswomen, and Tseng has said she hopes to emulate Sorenstam and Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa ― another now-retired former world No. 1 ― by using her golf prowess and popularity to make a difference in other areas.
“I don’t want to just be a good golfer. I want to be a good person like Annika and Lorena, too,” she said. “They’re helping out the LPGA and so many people around the world, and not just about golf.”
The $1.5 million ShopRite tournament starts on Friday.
