CHASKA, Minn. – Jing Yan has a different flag by her name this year. The 30-year-old LPGA veteran turned pro early out of college at the University of Washington in the hope of representing China in the 2016 Olympics. That’s didn’t happen, but she did qualify for Team China for the International Crown that year.
Here at the KPMG Women’s PGA at Hazeltine, Yan joins world No. 1 Nelly Korda as the only Americans currently in the top 10 at 4 under par. In the past 15 editions of this championship, Americans have only one twice (Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang).
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Born in Bristol, Connecticut, Yan’s father, Ming, worked for ESPN as a golf commentator for their Asian broadcasts. At age 2, Jing moved to Shanghai with her family before relocating again to Shanghai a couple years later, where she grew up. For the past five years, Jing has made a home in Frisco with her father and younger brother, who is also named Ming.
“Well, I kind of just happened,” said Yan of changing her flag. “I was raised in Singapore, and I was born here, and represented China for much of my career. I am really glad I got to do that. And I’ve always felt, like, all three parts have been influential in who I am as a person. So now, you know, just representing the U.S., I feel really proud of both that I’m able to do both China and now, the U.S.”
Yan first competed under the U.S. flag earlier this spring at the Blue Bay LPGA in China.
Jing Yan of the United States hands her putter to her caddie on the 18th green during the third round of the Meijer LPGA Classic For Simply Give 2026 at Blythefield Country Club on June 20, 2026 in Belmont, Michigan.
Yan is ineligible for the Solheim Cup this year because she wasn’t playing under the U.S. flag when Solheim Cup qualifying started in 2024.
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She will be eligible to compete for the U.S. at the 2028 Olympics in L.A., however, as that qualifying period began June 8, 2026. She can no longer represent China.
Yan, whose grandparents still live in Shanghai and mother lives in Singapore, is in the midst of some of the best golf of her career, holding a one-stroke lead going in to the final round of the Meijer LPGA Classic last week before eventually taking a share of seventh. She has two top 10s this season.
“You kind of practiced for it all the time, but you never really know how you will react,” said Yan of holding the lead late in a tournament. “And I feel like I was pretty calm, like, I was really nervous, but I really kind of tried to think of it as, like, helping me instead of hindering me. I’m glad I was able to kind of make that switch because I feel like in the past, sometimes I haven’t really handled it very well. And I would start kind of doubting myself in my game.”
With her father in the golf business, Yan had some unique opportunities growing up. As a 9-year-old at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, her father was working a Tiger Woods clinic when Yan was pulled out of the crowd to hit a shot.
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“I remember I hit three shots that were really good, a little bit low, but like straight at the pin,” said Yan. “I think he was enjoying the moment. I hope he was. … I was just freaking out about the fact that I was standing, like, 6 feet away from the reason I started playing golf almost.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: KPMG Women’s PGA contender recently switched flags from China to U.S.
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