The third time is the charm, they say! The 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship marked Kevin Yu’s third time playing in the event, and this year, it was his moment to shine. Having joined the PGA Tour as a rookie in 2023, the Chinese Taipei resident finally managed to bag his first win. He defeated Beau Hossler in a playoff after the two players tied with a 23-under. Other than Yu’s maiden win, this was a heart-wrenching loss for Hossler, who remains winless in 200 starts. Yu carded a birdie on the par-4 18th hole to seal the deal. While the victory at Mississippi will forever be a special one for him, the presence of his parents on the greens will make it all the more unforgettable.

At the post-round presser on Sunday at the Country Club of Jackson, Kevin Yu shared how special it was to grab the title with his parents there. His parents flew from Taiwan to see him play. Coming from a regular family, his parents struggled a lot to give him the life he wanted; “they have been working really hard as well trying to put me to college and go through my professional career, and just to have them out here, it’s really special,” said Yu. The golfer completed his education at Arizona State University, where he played professional golf.

From Phil Mickelson to Jon Rahm, some of the greatest golfers were the alumnus of the college. Sharing how unreal it felt to him, Yu confessed, “I don’t get to see them very often, and I mean, to have them out here is very special. I’m just really thankful for them to be here. I think they’re a part of why I win today.” Well, it was not just that. Kevin Yu made his first swing when he was five, and it was his father, Yu Chun-an, who was his first coach and will forever be his best one. He even opened a driving range for him at a very young age. “He has been a coach and taught me how to play, yeah,” added Yu.

Kevin Yu started competing in tournaments at the age of seven. “I wanted to beat my dad so bad out there,” said Yu, “and that’s what got me into this game.” His father, Tommy Yu, himself is a professional golfer in Taiwan. He had one aim when he entered the Mississippi course, and well, he did indeed fulfill it.

Kevin Yu grabbed the winner’s parking lot for his parents

Kevin Yu has sacrificed a lot to make his parents proud. He had to struggle through the initial days of his professional career. His sister, Han-Hsuan, played golf at the Oklahoma State. This prevented him from meeting his parents for over three years. When he finally got hold of the PGA Tour card, he knew he had to tell his parents.

He FaceTimed them at 12:30 am and gave them the good news. After two years, he once again gave them a reason to be proud of him. The golfer shared that when he and his parents were coming to the golf course on Tuesday, they pulled into the parking lot, and apparently it was reserved for past winners, so they could not park there. What did his father do then? He hoped!

“We can’t park here. He was like, Oh, okay, okay. We can park here after this year. You know, I mean, I don’t know; it just happened. (Smiling.),” said Tommy Yu as per the golfer. Having a great start at the week, with a 66, and maintaining his momentum through Sunday, he was finally able to stand up to the trust his parents put in him, and the win was indeed the most special moment in his career as he also became the third Taiwanese player to win on the Tour after T.C. Chen (1987 Los Angeles Open) and C. T. Pan (2019 Heritage Classic).

What are your thoughts about Kevin Yu’s performance last weekend? Let us know in the comments section!