Resurgent Tseng Ya-ni shows glimpses of her best at Reignwood LPGA Classic
Taiwanese star shows flashes of class in Beijing tournament that saw her dominate the women's tour in 2011-13
For 109 consecutive weeks, Tseng Ya-ni ruled the female golfing world. From 2011 to 2013, the Taiwanese player was the dominant force in the women's game, amassing five majors and sitting pretty atop the Rolex Rankings.
But golf, as Tseng has discovered, can be a fickle game. Without warning, a game that had seemed infallible, became laboured. Hitherto long and straight drives started to miss the fairways. Putts failed to drop.
But despite the painful decline that now sees her 66th in the world rankings, the opening two rounds of the Reignwood LPGA Classic have provided strands of encouragement.
It's been a couple of years, but I really want to try to feel more comfortable out there and just enjoy myself
With only two top 10s to her name this year, talk of a full revival may be premature for the player whose victory in the Faldo Series at Hong Kong Golf Club in 2006 contributed to the raising of her global profile. But there is no denying a change in both her body language and mental state.
"It's been a couple of years, but I really want to try to feel more comfortable out there and just enjoy myself, and not worry about the score too much," said Tseng, whose recent mixed fortunes have been perfectly illustrated at Pine Valley Golf Club.
An opening 69 sparked genuine hopes of a title challenge in the US$2.1 million event.
However, much of that good work was undone with a scrappy ending to her second round, bogeys at 17 and 18 resulting in a two-over 75 that saw her plummet from joint fifth overnight to equal 27th.
At the halfway stage of the tournament, Tseng's total of 144 is 10 strokes off the blistering pace being set by current world number one Stacy Lewis, who looks every bit as unstoppable now as Tseng was in her pomp.
Before her late round two lapses, there were plenty of smiles from Tseng, who showed she had not lost her raw power reaching the par-five 16th with two mighty blows into the wind.
"It's amazing, that feeling of playing free out there and not worrying about anything. I just feel much happier now," said Tseng, whose refreshing honesty ensures galleries continue to cheer for her.
Although Tseng is unlikely to win this tournament, if there was a prize for quote of the week then she would have triumphed.
Asked if she is now injury-free, Tseng responded: "I have a little heart injury from the last couple of years. My smile was not really real. But this year I feel like I really smile from my heart, from the inside."
