Ruoning Yin Ends 672-Day Drought With Emotional Victory at the 2026 FM Championship

The wait is over for Ruoning Yin. After 672 days without hoisting a trophy, the 23-year-old Chinese phenom broke through the tension at TPC Boston on Sunday, capturing the 2026 FM Championship by a two-stroke margin. Yin fired a closing 2-under 70 to finish at 14-under par, outlasting a fierce back-nine challenge from South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim in breezy, demanding conditions. The victory secures Yin her sixth career LPGA Tour title and a $660,000 winner's check, cementing her status as one of the game's elite young closers.[1][2][4]

The defining moment arrived on the par-5 12th hole, where Yin, trailing by a stroke, poured in a 25-foot birdie putt to pull level with Kim. From there, Yin shifted into lockdown mode. She rattled off five consecutive pars, navigating the increasingly firm greens that had stalled scoring across the leaderboard. "I think this one definitely boosts my confidence a little bit," Yin said after the round, visibly emotional as the weight of the nearly two-year drought lifted. "I just want to enjoy the moment."[1][3]

For Kim, the runner-up finish was a bitter pill at the end of a brilliant week. The two-time winner this season had pressed Yin relentlessly, stringing together birdies on the seventh, ninth, and 10th holes to seize the outright lead. But the momentum fractured on the par-3 16th. Kim missed a nine-foot par save, resulting in a costly three-putt bogey that dropped her back into a tie. A missed seven-foot birdie attempt on the 17th left her needing magic on the closing hole to force a playoff.[1][3]

The 18th hole delivered the final twist. Finding the left rough off the tee, Kim attempted to muscle her approach but suffered a brutal break when her hand slipped off the club on the follow-through. The ball tumbled into a small fairway bunker, effectively ending her title hopes. She managed to scramble for par and a closing 71, finishing alone in second at 12-under. "It kept going back and forth with the scores on who would win so no one knew," Kim reflected. "At the end of the day it was Ronni."[1][6]

Yin, meanwhile, played the 18th with clinical precision. Needing only a par to secure the win, she reached the par-5 green in two from 18 feet away, comfortably two-putting for a closing birdie that punctuated the victory. The win makes Yin just the sixth player in the last 15 years to reach six LPGA Tour victories—including a major championship—before turning 24, joining current World No. 1 Nelly Korda in that exclusive club.[1][2]

The leaderboard behind the leading duo featured heavy hitters tuning up for the upcoming Solheim Cup. Reigning U.S. Women's Open champion Allisen Corpuz fired a final-round 68 to grab solo third at 11-under. Fellow American Rose Zhang matched that 68 to share fourth place at 10-under alongside Sei Young Kim, who briefly held the lead after chipping in for birdie on the 11th before a disastrous double-bogey derailed her charge.[2][3][5]

Further down the board, the tournament marked the quiet end of an era. European Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist, a three-time major champion, officially retired from LPGA Tour competition following her final round. Nordqvist signed for a 1-under 72 to finish tied for 38th, drawing tributes from her peers. "I've been on Tour for over ten years now as well," Hyo Joo Kim said of Nordqvist's departure. "It's both cool and makes my heart a little—it stings a little just because they're out there."[1][6]

For Yin, the victory at TPC Boston is a massive reset ahead of the season's final stretch. After a relatively quiet 2026 campaign that featured 15 made cuts and six top-10 finishes but no hardware, she finally found the missing gear. "It's just been so long since my last win," Yin admitted, crediting her team and her mother, who was in attendance. "I know I work hard... Just everything comes together." With her confidence restored and her elite ball-striking back on full display, Yin has officially put the rest of the tour on notice.[1][3]