Shanshan Feng

Shanshan Feng (Chinese: 冯珊珊; pinyin: Féng Shān Shān, Mandarin pronunciation: [fə̌ŋ ʂə́ŋ ʂə́ŋ]; born 5 August 1989) is a Chinese professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the first player from China to become a member of the LPGA Tour, which she joined in 2008. Feng has 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.[2] She is the first player from China to win an LPGA major championship, as well as the first player from mainland China (male or female) to win a major championship.[3][4] Her best finish in 16 previous majors was a tie for 22nd at the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship.[5][6] With the victory, she moved from tenth to fifth in the Women's World Golf Rankings.[7] On 20 August 2016, Feng won the Olympic bronze medal in women's golf at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.[8] From November 2017 to April 2018, she was first in the Women's World Golf Rankings.[9]

Shanshan Feng
Feng in 2014
Personal information
Nickname	Jenny[1]
Born	August 5, 1989 Guangzhou, China
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Nationality	China
Career
Turned professional	2007
Current tour(s)	LPGA Tour (joined 2008) Ladies European Tour
Professional wins	23
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour	10
Ladies European Tour	7
LPGA of Japan Tour	7
Other	1
Best results in LPGA major championships
ANA Inspiration	6th: 2014
Women's PGA C'ship	Won: 2012
U.S. Women's Open	T4: 2012
Women's British Open	T2: 2014
Evian Championship	T2: 2019
Achievements and awards
Ladies European Tour Order of Merit 2015
Medal record Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro Golf

Early life, family and early golf development

2009 Women's British Open

Feng was born in Guangzhou, in the province of Guangdong,[10] and started playing golf at age 10 at the urging of her father, Feng Xiong, who worked at the golf association in their hometown.[11][12][13][14]

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.[15] 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.[15] On the weekends, she travelled outside of the city to a local course to play practice rounds and work on her short game.[15]

When Feng was in high school an agent discovered her, at a tournament in China, and this led to her meeting coach Gary Gilchrist.[15] When Feng was 17 years old, Gilchrist offered her a full scholarship to attend his junior golf academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina.[15] Feng accepted the offer and moved to the U.S hoping to become a professional golfer.[15] 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.[16] 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.[16] 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.[16]

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).[17] She was the Champion of the 2006 China Women's Amateur Open.[17] A member of the 2006 All-China Championship Team, she earned a medalist honors at the event.[17] In 2007 she was named Golfweeks's Top Chinese Amateur after winning four tournaments on the International Junior Golf Tour (IIGT) in 2007.[17]

While still an amateur, Feng tied for ninth at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament in December 2007 to earn a spot on the LPGA Tour in 2008.[18]

Professional wins (23)

LPGA Tour wins (10)

Legend

Major championships (1)

Other LPGA Tour (9)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)
1	10 Jun 2012	Wegmans LPGA Championship	72-73-70-67=282	−6	2 strokes	Eun-Hee Ji Stacy Lewis Mika Miyazato Suzann Pettersen	375,000
2	6 Oct 2013	Reignwood LPGA Classic	70-64-64-68=266	−26	1 stroke	Stacy Lewis	270,000
3	24 Nov 2013	CME Group Titleholders	66-74-67-66=273	−15	1 stroke	Gerina Piller	700,000
4	12 Oct 2014	Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia	67-67-69-63=266	−18	3 strokes	Pornanong Phatlum	300,000
5	30 Oct 2016	Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia (2)	66-70-64-67=267	−17	3 strokes	Suzann Pettersen	270,000
6	6 Nov 2016	Toto Japan Classic^	69-64-70=203	−13	1 stroke	Jang Ha-na	225,000
7	28 May 2017	LPGA Volvik Championship	68-67-66-68=269	−19	1 stroke	Minjee Lee Park Sung-hyun	195,000
8	5 Nov 2017	Toto Japan Classic^ (2)	66-63-68=197	−19	2 strokes	Ai Suzuki	225,000
9	11 Nov 2017	Blue Bay LPGA	69-67-73-70=279	−9	1 stroke	Moriya Jutanugarn	315,000
10	7 Jul 2019	Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic	64-67-65-63=259	−29	1 stroke	Ariya Jutanugarn	300,000

^ Co-sanctioned with the LPGA of Japan Tour

LPGA Tour playoff record (0–3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2011	Mizuno Classic	Momoko Ueda	Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2	2012	HSBC Women's Champions	Na Yeon Choi Jenny Shin Angela Stanford	Stanford won with par on third extra hole Choi eliminated with par on second hole Feng eliminated with par on first hole
3	2014	Lorena Ochoa Invitational	Christina Kim	Lost to par on second extra hole

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (7)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share (¥)
1	7 Aug 2011	Meiji Cup	68-67-67=202	−13	2 strokes	Eun-Bi Jang Miho Koga	16,200,000
2	25 Sep 2011	Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open	70-70-68=208	−8	1 stroke	Yuri Fudoh	12,600,000
3	27 May 2012	Yonex Ladies	70-69-69=208	−8	Playoff	Yukari Baba	10,800,000
4	5 Aug 2012	Meiji Cup	72-70-67=209	−7	Playoff	Sun-Ju Ahn Shinobu Moromizato	16,200,000
5	30 Sep 2012	Japan Women's Open Golf Championship	68-75-74-71=288	E	1 stroke	Inbee Park	28,000,000
6	6 Nov 2016	Toto Japan Classic^	69-64-70=203	−13	1 stroke	Jang Ha-na	23,175,000
7	5 Nov 2017	Toto Japan Classic^ (2)	66-63-68=197	−19	2 strokes	Ai Suzuki	25,510,500

^ Co-sanctioned with the LPGA Tour

Ladies European Tour wins (7)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner-up	Winner's share (€)
1	2 Mar 2012	World Ladies Championship individual event	66-69-71=206	−10	1 stroke	Pornanong Phatlum	56,275
2	8 Dec 2012	Omega Dubai Ladies Masters	66-65-67-69=267	−21	5 strokes	Dewi Claire Schreefel	75,000
3	13 Dec 2014	Omega Dubai Ladies Masters (2)	66-67-66-70=269	−19	5 strokes	Carlota Ciganda	75,000
4	10 May 2015	Buick Championship	65-67-69-70=271	−17	6 strokes	Kang Hyeon-seo	82,500
5	12 Dec 2015	Omega Dubai Ladies Masters (3)	67-67-67-66=267	−21	12 strokes	Thidapa Suwannapura	75,000
6	15 May 2016	Buick Championship (2)	71-66-70-67=274	−14	Playoff	Choi Na-yeon	72,324
7	10 Dec 2016	Omega Dubai Ladies Masters (4)	72-70-64=206	−10	2 strokes	Charley Hull	75,000

Ladies European Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2016	Buick Championship	Choi Na-yeon	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (1)

• 2012 World Ladies Championship (team event with Liying Ye)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
2012	LPGA Championship	−6 (72-73-70-67=282)	2 strokes	Eun-Hee Ji, Stacy Lewis, Mika Miyazato, Suzann Pettersen

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2019.

Tournament	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
ANA Inspiration			CUT		T55	T22	T25	6	T8	T50	T21	T25	CUT
U.S. Women's Open	CUT	CUT	T48	CUT	T42	T4	T9	T15	CUT	T38	T5	CUT	CUT
Women's PGA Championship		T58	CUT	T54	T50	1	T9	T6	T13	T17	CUT	T18	CUT
The Evian Championship ^							T11	T10	3	4	T6	T44	T2
Women's British Open		CUT	T67	T73	T30	CUT	T25	T2	T24	T17	T7	T7	CUT

^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
ANA Inspiration	0	0	0	0	2	6	10	8
U.S. Women's Open	0	0	0	2	3	4	13	7
Women's PGA Championship	1	0	0	1	3	6	12	9
The Evian Championship	0	1	1	3	5	6	7	7
Women's British Open	0	1	0	1	3	6	12	9
Totals	1	2	1	7	16	28	54	40

• 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)

No.	Date	Tournament	Score	To par	Gold medalist	Silver medalist
1	20 Aug 2016	Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	70-67-68-69=273	−10	Inbee Park	Lydia Ko

LPGA Tour career summary

Year	Tournaments played	Cuts made	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top 10s	Best finish	Earnings ($)	Money list rank	Scoring average	Scoring rank
2007	1	0	0	0	0	0	MC	0	n/a	75.50	n/a
2008	26	16	0	1	0	4	2	472,758	36	72.45	57
2009	21	12	0	0	0	0	T20	123,694	75	72.60	69
2010	17	15	0	0	0	4	T4	281,303	38	71.69	26
2011	17	15	0	1	0	4	2	362,097	32	71.22	20
2012	19	18	1	1	1	8	1	1,101,147	10	70.84	8
2013	19	18	2	2	0	10	1	1,716,657	4	70.37	6
2014	24	24	1	2	1	12	1	1,404,623	6	70.37	7
2015	21	20	0	1	2	12	T2	1,086,338	9	70.44	9
2016	21	20	2	1	1	11	1	1,458,579	5	69.88	4
2017	22	20	3	1	2	12	1	1,728,191	4	69.78	8
2018	22	21	0	0	3	6	T3	738,823	27	70.42	18
2019	23	17	1	1	0	6	1	986,190	16	70.23	16
Totals	253	216	10	11	10	90	1	11,460,401	11

• official through 2019 season[19]

World ranking

Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.

Year	World ranking	Source
2006	609	[20]
2007	534	[21]
2008	48	[22]
2009	83	[23]
2010	79	[24]
2011	13	[25]
2012	5	[26]
2013	4	[27]
2014	5	[28]
2015	6	[29]
2016	4	[30]
2017	1	[31]
2018	11	[32]
2019	23	[33]

Team appearances

Amateur

• Espirito Santo Trophy (representing China): 2004

Professional

• International Crown (representing China): 2016

See also

• List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
• List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins

References

1. "Gary Gilchrist on Growth of China's Future Golfers". The A Position. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
2. "Shanshan Feng". Retrieved 11 June 2012.
3. http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-sports/2012/06/10/shanshan-feng-wins-a-major-for-china/%5B%5D
4. Mell, Randall (10 June 2012). "Feng win could inspire Chinese girls". Golf Channel. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
5. Voepel, Mechelle (11 June 2012). "Shanshan Feng becomes first winner from China". ESPN W. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
6. DiMeglio, Steve (10 June 2012). "Shanshan Feng claims China's first major title in golf". USA Today. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
7. "Women's World Golf Rankings". Rolex Rankings. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
8. Porter, Kyle (20 August 2016). "2016 Rio Olympic golf: Park, Ko take medals as Americans just miss bronze". CBS Sports.
9. "Women's World Golf Rankings". Rolex Rankings. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
10. "Guangzhou Sports Officials visit Seattle in September 2011". Washington Cultural Exchange. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
11. "Get to Know Shanshan Feng". LPGA. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
12. "Shanshan Feng Bio". LPGA. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
13. Golf Channel television interview with Feng upon winning the 2012 LPGA Championship on 10 June 2012
14. "Feng Shanshan, China's first golf number one and 'guinea pig'". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
15. "China's Shanshan Feng does things her way". ESPN. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
16. "Feng Shanshan's driving ambition" (PDF). China Daily. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
17. "Shanshan Feng Bio". LPGA. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
18. "Final Qualifying Tournament Results 2007". LPGA. December 2, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
19. "Shanshan Feng results". LPGA. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
20. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 26 December 2006.
21. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 December 2007.
22. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2008.
23. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 29 December 2009.
24. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2010.
25. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 27 December 2011.
26. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2012.
27. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2013.
28. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 29 December 2014.
29. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2015.
30. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 26 December 2016.
31. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 December 2017.
32. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2018.
33. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2019.

External links

• Shanshan Feng at the LPGA Tour official site
• Shanshan Feng at the Ladies European Tour official site
• Shanshan Feng at the Women's World Golf Rankings official site