‘Strenuous.’ Angel Yin took less than a second to describe her day. The 25-year-old is playing only her 28th round since coming back from an ankle injury. The $1.75 million-purse Portland Classic was a last-minute addition to her schedule. She doesn’t regret the trip. Rather, the sweltering heat poses a different challenge. One that she believes she can overcome.

Urban Portland is witnessing soaring temperatures to the upper 90s, which actually feel like over 100F. Moreover, higher humidity means lesser chances of sweat evaporation, i.e., fewer chances of the body cooling itself. For Yin, that’s an additional pain point: her ankles swell.

Asked about her injury, Yin told the media persons, “It’s healing. Can’t complain. It’s my second week in a row and I feel quite good, especially with how hot today is. When it gets hot my foot gets really inflamed and I was actually really good and I didn’t feel that much pain.”

The weather doesn’t get a lot better on Friday. Temperatures are expected to come down but only slightly. Nevertheless, Yin is positive about how she has coped. Earlier, it would have been more difficult, but now with gradual recovery, she can beat that. Yin continued, “I walked normal. Obviously it’s an easier walk. You know, everything is in the positives.”

The one-time LPGA Tour winner broke her ankle last November, a few days after Thanksgiving. The doctor suggested surgery, but she refused, choosing a cast over putting her in a hospital bed. 

Since the season was almost over, the world first got to see that when she made an appearance beside Annika Sorenstam at an AJGA event. To everyone’s surprise, she appeared in a wheelchair with braces around her ankle. 

Yin subsequently withdrew from the HGV Tournament of Champions and vanished from the scene for two months. Even when she came back in March, she never looked the same Yin of 2023, and her comments explained why.

Angel Yin is still some distance away from a full recovery

Yin was on a steady dose of Advil during her first few tournaments. At that time, she jokingly said she wasn’t paid to promote it but spoke from her personal experience. “Took two Advil. They do work. It is not an ad, but they do work,” Yin said from Las Vegas while playing the T-Mobile Match Play. 

But, the T5 at the hilly Shadow Creek has been her only top ten this season. She has missed five cuts so far and failed to break inside the top 30 in any of the other tournaments. The 25-year-old hopes to get back to rhythm with more rounds of competitive golf. Last year, she landed her first LPGA Tour victory and added five more top-10s to that. 

With the Solheim Cup approaching, there is an added incentive for Angel Yin to move up the leaderboard in as many tournaments as she can. The Portland classic with a weaker field is a great chance to grab.