First round in 2 months is rough for Angel Yin with important Solheim Cup decision fast approaching

Angel Yin returned to the LPGA for the first time in two months on Thursday and she struggled to shoot a nine-over 81 in the first round of the FM Championship at TPC Boston.

Some rust was certainly expected given that Yin, ranked 25th in the world, has dealt with serious health issues and wasn’t sure how her body would react in competitive golf. She was encouraged by some things.

“Where I live in Orlando, it's pretty hot. So the greens are not really up to standards to practice and the conditions are not going to be the same as a tournament golf,” Yin told Golf Digest. “[TPC] is a tough golf course with conditions and everything. I know I've had three days of practice, but it's never enough to be in the moment playing and really getting used to everything.

“Overall, I think on that aspect, I did OK. I struggled with the consistency. I've had some great people text me after the round and say it’s a process. I'm doing this for myself and showing up. My caddie has been there and was super supportive. My team is super supportive and obviously a lot of people.”

Yin, 27, lost 35 pounds after an illness that started during the KPMG PGA Women’s Championship at Hazeltine in June. She had to withdraw from the event and hadn’t returned to competitive golf until now. She said she dealt with stomach and gastrointestinal issues but would not go into further detail. She’s mostly been at her Orlando home recovering.

This isn’t just any return though. This is Yin’s trial to see if she can still tee it up in the Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf Club in Cromvoirt, Netherlands. Play starts in just 15 days. If she is not able to play, U.S. Solheim Cup captain Angela Stanford will have to use an alternate, whose name is in an envelope and has not yet been made public.

Yin qualified for the U.S. team on points and that was with missing two months. Now the question is whether she thinks her game will be good enough to help the Americans win in Europe for the first time since 2015. She’s been a big part of three Solheim Cup teams and is looking to play in a fourth. She was a captain’s pick in both 2017 and 2023 and qualified via world rankings in 2019. Her record is 5-3-1.

Yin has been consistently communicating with Stanford the last couple of months.

Asked on Monday about Yin’s status, Stanford said: “We've been taking it day by day with Angel, and she made the team on her own. She deserves to be on this team. We all want Angel on the team. We’re giving her the opportunity to play and see where she, and we agreed, ‘let's play Boston, and then let's reassess.’

The question is if Yin feels she’ll be her best self by next month. Asked if she had to make a decision today, Yin said: “I really don’t know. The plan is I go to Amsterdam and we’ll see.”

There’s still some time, too. Yin might have only more competitive round on Friday—she’d have to go very low in an early tee time just to make the cut as she’s tied for last place—but she said she loved seeing all her colleagues again.

“It feels great to be back, to be honest,” Yin said. “It's like the first day of school. It’s pretty exciting. I'm really happy to be out there.”

Yin had nine pars and nine bogeys. She took 31 putts and had no three putts, hit just six of 14 fairways and was six of 18 in greens hit in regulation.

Friday’s second round will give Yin and Stanford more information, but the important decision is fast approaching.