Shanshan Feng on being China’s first major golf champion
Shanshan Feng is the current world’s number five player. This is a rare achievement for the young player who is considered to be the best golfer China has produced so far.
Why has Feng become so important for golf in China?
The main reason is her unique string of ‘firsts’ that makes her the best Chinese golfer yet. She was the first Chinese golfer to win a place on the prestigious LPGA tour. Next is her win in the 2012 LPGA Championship.
A place on LPGA itself is a rare achievement. This means that the player has enough skill and expertise to outcompete the competition at the qualifying school. A very small percentage of the hopefuls make it to a place on the LPGA tour.
Winning a major tournament is another achievement that many young players dream of. Winning a major tournament let the player have access to fame and wealth.
Sponsors flock to the player and suddenly the player finds herself being featured in the stories run by major media outlets.
Many experts say that Shanshan Feng has been incredibly lucky. She became the first Chinese golfer to win a full card on LPGA. This was surprising for many observers who were not impressed by the performance of many Chinese players.
When Shanshan Feng won the Championship, she was as stunned as the commentators. After the match, she said, “I still can't believe I won a major. I can't believe they just told me I go to No. 4 in the world. I'm so excited, so happy”.
Feng is well aware of her achievement. She believes that she has opened the door that many Chinese golfers will walk through. She hopes that more Chinese girls will follow her example and choose golf as their career.
Commenting on her achievements and aspirations about Chinese golf, Feng said, “It is amazing. I think I'm just lucky. There are good players from China, young players, right now. I became the first one, but I'm sure there will be a second, third, more people
winning in the States and winning majors”.
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