TSENG CHASING CAREER GRAND SLAM

YANI TSENG

Yani Tseng has this habit of smiling when she's nervous. She smiles when she's happy, too.

"The people don't know which one I am," the LPGA's No.1 player said with, well, a smile. "It makes me feel very relaxed. I think if I smile more, people will enjoy watching me."

When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you, and it eases the sting on those you've just dusted on the golf course.

Tseng, 22, has put the women's No.1 ranking on lockdown with six wins worldwide, including her 10-stroke romp at the LPGA Championship. That triumph was her third major title in the past 15 months and fourth overall — the youngest to accumulate that many.

The Taiwan native already has more majors than Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez (3) or Lorena Ochoa (2), the LPGA's last dominant No.1. And with a victory at this week's U.S. Women's Open, Tseng can become the youngest to achieve the career Grand Slam.

"She's really the new face of the LPGA," suggested Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, who's become an adviser and close friend.

Said coach Gary Gilchrist: "She is playing the best golf with the amount of expectations and pressure that's been put on her, which is No.1 in the world. It's awesome to watch."

Even as the spotlight grows, Tseng downplays any talk of a dawning "Yani Era."

"I feel like there's a long way to go," Tseng said. "After 10 years, maybe we can have the discussion. ... All the great players that come on the tour now — if you have a couple of bad weeks, people are going to catch you."

At the moment, it's the rest of the LPGA that's trying to catch up to Tseng. Her 69.31 scoring average is nearly a full stroke ahead of anyone else, and her total of 163 birdies and eagles is 30 more than No.2 Cristie Kerr.

"Yani's playing unbelievable out there," rival Suzann Pettersen said. "If she hits the fairway and makes her fair share of putts, she's going to be a tough competitor all year round."

While fellow pros rave about Tseng's distance off the tee and improved putting, her strides this year stem more from the mental side. In years past, bad shots or untimely bogeys easily could chip at her confidence.
Gilchrist acknowledges his biggest task hasn't been to maintain Tseng's swing as much as improve her outlook.

"The more you can trust in what you're doing," he said, "the better it gets."

He cited the LPGA Championship's second round, where Tseng carded a 70 after missing a couple of short putts. Afterward, she told Gilchrist her confidence had fallen by "maybe 30 percent."

They went out to the practice green, but didn't stroke a single putt.

"Yani, let's look at it logically," Gilchrist told her. "Your name's still on top of the leaderboard; you're leading by one. That means you're doing a lot of things really well. You miss a 5-foot putt, it's just a putt missed."

An hour later, a smiling Tseng walked off the green. Weekend scores of 67-66 delivered the trophy.

"If your attitude's good," she said, "I think it's going to come out good more often than bad."
Spoken with a smile, of course.

- Story courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel