As the Tour gears up for its return to the states in March, players met with the media in both California and Arizona. Angel Yin made the rounds in San Diego ahead of the upcoming Kia Classic. She grabbed her first professional win just before the New Year with a victory in Dubai on the Ladies European Tour. It was just what the 2017 rookie was looking for in order to end her season on a high note.
“It reassured me for next year, ‘Oh you got this Angel,’’ Yin told LPGA.com. “It gave me a lot of confidence going into 2018.”
An avid foodie, Yin likes to explore restaurants back home in California and on the road. During the off-season, she discovered a favorite new spot during a recent trip to Indianapolis. Yin fell in love with Harry and Izzy’s Steak House, a sister restaurant to St. Elmo Steak House, which is home to the World Famous Shrimp Cocktail.
“St. Elmos and the shrimp cocktail there is amazing,” said Yin, who is looking forward to vising Harry and Izzy’s again, too. “I’m going back there again to eat when I play in Indy, it’s a great restaurant. The calamari was good too, and the steak.”
While Yin was busy in California gushing over her latest food finds, Ryann O’Toole, Alena Sharp and Giulia Molinaro made a few new furry friends. The trio took part in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup Media Day at OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale, Arizona. There, the group went underwater to touch and interact with stingrays, sharks and penguins.
“They were so cute!” O’Toole said about the penguins she held. “They smell like fish and they poop, but they’re super soft and full of character. To be able to play with them, it’s like you’re playing with a cat.”
The local LPGA*USGA Girls Golf chapter was also on hand and asked questions to the pros about their experiences on Tour.
“It’s great to see the Girls Golf program and these girls out there and all the little people that we get to watch us,” Sharp said about the young girls who watch them play in Arizona. “All of us really enjoy that and take time to give them a ball or sign a hat in the middle of the round because we want to see those fans keep coming out and supporting us.”
The Bank of Hope Founders Cup is the Tour’s first domestic event on the 2018 LPGA Tour schedule. The tournament gets underway March 15 at Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa. The Kia Classic is the following week at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad.
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