Sports

Thursday February 23, 2012

Yani vows to manage stress better to win US Open


SINGAPORE: World No. 1 Tseng Yani said yesterday the “stress” of wanting to add the US Women’s Open to her collection of major titles had overshadowed her efforts to win the trophy so far.

Yani became the youngest player ever, male or female, to capture five majors after claiming the Women’s British Open last year at the age of 22, but said the one she now craves is the US title – to complete a career slam.

“For the Grand Slam, of course, the US Open is one of my goals,” the Taiwanese superstar golfer said yesterday at a Singapore press conference ahead of the US$1.4mil HSBC Women’s Champions tournament.

“If I don’t win this year, I still have many more years to come but I would love to win as soon as I can.”

Yani said the pressure of chasing the US Open trophy has haunted her in recent years, but vowed to take a more relaxed approach when she challenges for this year’s title in Kohler, Wisconsin, in July.

“Every time I go to the US Open I just feel more pressure than any tournament, just more stress,” she said.

“That’s a tournament I really want and sometimes I’m just trying too hard.

“So this year, me and my team, we’ll be talking about this tournament and how we can prepare for the US Open and try to keep it relaxed the whole year and keep very fresh.”

Yani, who turned 23 last month, enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons in history when she won seven LPGA Tour victories in 2011 and topped the money list with US$2.92mil.

The four current majors are the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the LPGA Championship, the US women’s Open and the Women’s British Open. — AFP

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