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Shanshan Feng (, ; born 5 August 1989) is a Chinese former
Feng was born in Guangzhou, in the province of Guangdong, and started playing golf at age 10 at the urging of her father, Feng Xiong, who worked at the golf association in their hometown.Golf Channel television interview with Feng upon winning the 2012 LPGA Championship on 10 June 2012
Due to limited resources and a lack of reputable golf coaches, Feng's father, who was the captain of a junior golf team, worked with her every day. During the week, Feng would attend school from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then her father would bring her to the driving range where she would practice for two hours hitting golf balls off a mat. On the weekends, she travelled outside of the city to a local course to play practice rounds and work on her short game.
When Feng was in high school an agent discovered her, at a tournament in China, and this led to her meeting coach Gary Gilchrist. When Feng was 17 years old, Gilchrist offered her a full scholarship to attend his junior golf academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Feng accepted the offer and moved to the U.S hoping to become a professional golfer. Despite the scholarship to Gilchrist's academy, living expenses, tuition at a nearby high school, and traveling costs became heavy financial burdens on her parents, Feng Xiong and Zheng Yuyan, who both work at governmental institutes and earn average salaries. Feng's parents had spent almost all of their savings by the end of 2007, and they considered mortgaging their house to support their daughter. However, the family support paid off in December 2007 when Feng, a teenager amateur, earned a spot on the LPGA Tour's 2008 season after tying for ninth place at the Tour's qualifying tournament.
"T" = tied
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
who previously played on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of wee ...
. She was the first player from China to become a member of the LPGA Tour, which she joined in 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
. Feng had 10 victories on the tour, including the 2012 LPGA Championship, a major title, in which she shot a bogey-free 67 in the final round to win by two strokes. She was the first player from China to win an LPGA major championship, as well as the first player from mainland China (male or female) to have won a major championship. Her best finish in 16 previous majors was a tie for 22nd at the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship. With the victory, she moved from tenth to fifth in the Women's World Golf Rankings. On 20 August 2016, Feng won the Olympic bronze medal in women's golf at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. From November 2017 to April 2018, she was first in the Women's World Golf Rankings.
In August 2022, Feng announced her retirement from professional golf.
Early life, family and early golf development
Feng was born in Guangzhou, in the province of Guangdong, and started playing golf at age 10 at the urging of her father, Feng Xiong, who worked at the golf association in their hometown.Golf Channel television interview with Feng upon winning the 2012 LPGA Championship on 10 June 2012
Due to limited resources and a lack of reputable golf coaches, Feng's father, who was the captain of a junior golf team, worked with her every day. During the week, Feng would attend school from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then her father would bring her to the driving range where she would practice for two hours hitting golf balls off a mat. On the weekends, she travelled outside of the city to a local course to play practice rounds and work on her short game.
When Feng was in high school an agent discovered her, at a tournament in China, and this led to her meeting coach Gary Gilchrist. When Feng was 17 years old, Gilchrist offered her a full scholarship to attend his junior golf academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Feng accepted the offer and moved to the U.S hoping to become a professional golfer. Despite the scholarship to Gilchrist's academy, living expenses, tuition at a nearby high school, and traveling costs became heavy financial burdens on her parents, Feng Xiong and Zheng Yuyan, who both work at governmental institutes and earn average salaries. Feng's parents had spent almost all of their savings by the end of 2007, and they considered mortgaging their house to support their daughter. However, the family support paid off in December 2007 when Feng, a teenager amateur, earned a spot on the LPGA Tour's 2008 season after tying for ninth place at the Tour's qualifying tournament.
Amateur career
Feng won the China Junior Championship and the China Junior Open in 2004. She was a three-time winner of the China Amateur Tournament (2004–06). She was the Champion of the 2006 China Women's Amateur Open. A member of the 2006 All-China Championship Team, she earned a medalist honors at the event. In 2007 she was named Golfweeks's Top Chinese Amateur after winning four tournaments on the International Junior Golf Tour (IIGT) in 2007. While still an amateur, Feng tied for ninth at the LPGA FinalQualifying
Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to:
* Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
Tournament in December 2007 to earn a spot on the LPGA Tour in 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
.
Professional wins (23)
LPGA Tour wins (10)
^ Co-sanctioned with the LPGA of Japan Tour LPGA Tour playoff record (0–3)LPGA of Japan Tour wins (7)
^ Co-sanctioned with theLPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of wee ...
Ladies European Tour wins (7)
Ladies European Tour playoff record (1–0)Other wins (1)
*2012 World Ladies Championship (team event with Liying Ye)Major championships
Wins (1)
Results timeline
''Results not in chronological order before 2019.'' ^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013 CUT = missed the half-way cut"T" = tied
Summary
*Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (2013 Kraft Nabisco – 2015 WPC) *Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (2014 British – 2015 ANA)Olympics medals (1)
Singles: 1 (1 bronze medal)
LPGA Tour career summary
* official through 2021 seasonWorld ranking
Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.Team appearances
Amateur *Espirito Santo Trophy
The Espirito Santo Trophy (World Women's Amateur Team Championships) is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation.
The inaugural event was held in 1964. It was instituted by the Fre ...
(representing China): 2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
Professional
* International Crown (representing China): 2016
See also
* List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins * List of golfers with most LPGA Tour winsReferences
External links
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Feng, Shanshan Chinese female golfers LPGA Tour golfers Ladies European Tour golfers Winners of LPGA major golf championships Olympic golfers of China Olympic medalists in golf Golfers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Golfers at the 2020 Summer Olympics 2016 Olympic bronze medalists for China Golfers at the 2006 Asian Games Asian Games competitors for China Sportspeople from Guangzhou 1989 births Living people