A Young Fan Intercepts In-Play Ball at Evian Championship and Receives Autographed Keepsake from Angel Yin
Angel Yin Overcomes Ball Incident to Shine at Evian Championship
As Angel Yin completed her remarkable first round at the prestigious Evian Championship, she took a moment to sign autographs for a group of enthusiastic junior fans eagerly gathered along the ropes.
However, little did she know that two young spectators had already managed to collect unique souvenirs from the American golfer even before she finished playing on Thursday.
This unfortunate incident marked the second consecutive year that a player fell victim to having their ball picked up while it was still in play during this major championship held in France.
Yin found herself facing this unusual situation on the par-five 15th hole at the beautiful Evian Resort Golf Club when her shot gracefully skimmed over the fairway and settled just outside of bounds. To her surprise, a nearby young fan couldn’t resist picking up the ball before walking away with his sister, visibly delighted by his unexpected find.
“The kid was really, really happy. I was far away and I saw his arm go up,” shared Yin during an interview , recounting what happened.
Intriguingly enough, it was not only her caddie’s swift action but also some intense negotiations that resolved this peculiar situation. Markus Zechmann, Yin’s experienced caddie, sprinted off in pursuit of these daring collectors and managed to bring them back. Under Zechmann’s supervision, they were asked to pinpoint where exactly they found the ball initially. Once this crucial information was obtained through consultation with a rules official regarding where the shot should be taken from based on regulations stipulated by golf governing bodies, Yin engaged in a conversation with the siblings. Eventually, through an interesting trade-off, she managed to secure two signed balls from her bag in exchange for her original ball.
Interestingly, Nelly Korda had encountered a similar episode during last year’s Evian Championship when a spectator picked up her ball as well.
Last year at the Evian Championship, Nelly Korda suffered a similar fate when a spectator picked up her ball.
This was not the first time that Angel Yin experienced such an unsettling occurrence on the golf course. In fact, during one of her previous tournaments in Korea where she was contending for victory, another spectator took away her ball. Unfortunately for Yin back then, due to being positioned too far away and despite extensive search efforts by her caddie and staff members present at the event, the lost ball was never found. As a result of this unfortunate incident, Yin had no choice but to accept it as a lost ball penalty which inevitably affected her final score. Thankfully this time around at the Evian Championship things turned out better for Yin when faced with another golf-ball-thieving fan.
“Thank god my caddie was up front and he chased him down. I don’t really know the ruling if a kid takes my golf ball,” shared Yin humorously while reflecting upon Thursday’s events.
He plays tennis so he does run. With a bag on your shoulders it’s not fun.”
Despite these unexpected challenges during play on Thursday evening, Angel Yin demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination throughout each hole of this prestigious championship event.
Following this intriguing incident on hole 15th fairway,Yin went on to par that hole before effectively concluding with two birdies across holes 16 through 18. Her impressive performance allowed her to card an outstanding four-under 67. As a result, she currently trails only three strokes behind South African first-round leader Paula Reto.
Angel Yin, who is ranked as the world No. 37 in women’s golf, has been relentlessly pursuing her dream of securing her first major win after two runner-up finishes. One of those heartbreaking near-misses came earlier this year at the Chevron Championship where she had to face an agonizing playoff defeat against Lilia Vu.
“The course is really difficult,” admitted Yin. “However, the breathtaking views offer some respite amidst the challenges. Despite that, I managed to hold my composure and played incredible golf which allowed me to make crucial birdies when it mattered most.”
Yin will commence her second round at 1:39 p.m. local time (7:39 a.m. ET) on Friday with hopes of maintaining her momentum and inching closer towards achieving a breakthrough victory at this esteemed championship event.