Ruoning Yin is proving she’s no fluke, but a phenom. The 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA champ showed up at The Concession Golf Club in April 2025 and nearly snatched her second major. Yin posted rounds of 71-69-70-71 to finish at 7-under-par, good for a T2 finish and a cool $462,966 at the Chevron Championship this year. Not bad for someone still just 22 years old. Yin may be quiet on the course, but her game is making a lot of noise—especially as she climbs back toward the world No. 1 spot she briefly held in 2023.

But with all this success on American soil, fans keep wondering: Is Ruoning Yin American? Let’s clear that up. Ruoning Yin was born on September 28, 2002, in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in southwestern China. She’s proudly Chinese—both by nationality and heritage. Her family roots trace back to Shanghai, where her father, who introduced her to golf, grew up. Yin’s dad wasn’t a golf pro himself, but he was passionate about the sport and took it upon himself to coach his daughter from a young age.

Yin’s rise is anything but typical. She picked up a club for the first time at age 10—a relatively late start by elite junior golf standards—but she trained like a machine. Practicing six days a week, five hours a day, she was soon dominating amateur events across China and Asia. She turned pro in 2020 at just 17 years old, joining the China LPGA Tour before quickly moving to the United States to pursue LPGA dreams. The transition wasn’t easy, but she made waves in 2023 by winning two LPGA events—including the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol, where she became just the second woman from China to win a major.

So no, Ruoning Yin isn’t American. But her impact on American golf is undeniable. Today, Yin lives a global lifestyle that blends elite sport with quiet focus. She trains rigorously, plays with fierce precision, and stays grounded by keeping her circle small. Off the course, she’s known to relax with video games and basketball—an ode to her favorite athletes beyond golf. Known by the nickname “Ronni,” she might be soft-spoken in interviews, but she’s becoming one of the most respected ball-strikers on tour. Ruoning Yin is a story of modern golf: international, disciplined, and unshakably driven. Her heritage is Chinese. Her swing is pure. And her ceiling? That’s still being written.

Ruoning Yin’s unbelievable golf origin story

Before Ruoning Yin became a major champion and one of the most exciting young stars on the LPGA Tour, she nearly ended her golf journey—and almost knocked out her father—in her very first attempt. The scene: a driving range in China, 2006. Yin was four years old, tagging along as her dad showed her mom how to swing a club. When her turn came, her father gave one clear instruction: “Don’t swing.”

Yin remembered it vividly: “He goes, ‘Don’t swing,’” she said. “I did one swing anyway, and I just hit his head and he got I think four stitches. It wasn’t very fun.” After that painful mishap, golf was put on pause. For the next several years, Yin focused on other sports—swimming, running, and especially basketball. But at age 10½, her mom convinced her to attend a summer golf camp by promising her a movie afterward. That little bribe turned into something much bigger.

Three months later, the competitive spark returned. Her dad took her to her first tournament, a 27-hole event where she shot 103-46 to finish third. They were packing up to leave when a tournament staffer informed her she’d won a trophy. That moment changed everything. “I think that trophy motivated me to chasing my dream,” Yin said.

That dream? It’s already producing results. In 2023, she won the DIO Implant L.A. Open, then followed it up by claiming her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with a birdie on the 72nd hole. Not bad for someone who once sidelined herself (and her dad) with one rogue swing.