After securing Individual success last year in Hong Kong, home star Xiyu Lin wants to take home the Team trophy at this year’s Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Shenzhen.
It is the fourth Aramco Team Series presented by PIF event of the year and the first time the event is being held in China.
The World Cup Course at Mission Hills China is the venue where the 36-hole Team competition and 54-hole Individual stroke play tournament will take place.
In 2023, Lin won her third Ladies European Tour (LET) title after defeating Korea’s Jin Young Ko in a playoff at Hong Kong Golf Club.
The Chinese star enjoyed playing in the unique format last year and loves being able to return to the LET and see friends.
“I really enjoyed the tournament last year because Hong Kong is one of my many home bases because my fiancé lives there,” she said.
“We have so many friends there and Hong Kong is such a great city. We had a really good time. It was unfortunate that the typhoon came and the tournament was reduced to 36 holes, but then I was able to win in the playoff and win in the title.
“I always enjoy the time I get to hang out with my fellow LET players. I see them here and there, sometimes at the AIG Women’s Open and Evian, but this week it’s in my home country and I get to host some of them.
“I get to share a room with Hannah [Burke] this week and catch up. It always feels great because they’re the first group of friends I made when I came on Tour, so it always means a lot to be able to hang out with them.”
After winning the Individual trophy last time out, Lin is hoping to come away with the Team trophy in her homeland.
At the Draft, the three-time LET winner – who is number 20 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings – picked England’s Liz Young and they are joined by Spain’s Marta Sanz Barrio.
She explained: “I really enjoyed the format last year. Golf is such an individual game and also as a nation, we don’t get to play in Solheim Cups and stuff.
“There are not many times we get to play with someone else supporting in the group. The first two days having a whole team playing together, you play your own game but you’re also supporting each other.
“The format makes us very together, we work really hard towards one goal. The team event is half of the prize fund, last year I won the Individual, so I’d like to win the team event this year – that’s the goal.”
Earlier in the summer, Lin took home some hardware from the Olympic Games in Paris as she clinched the bronze medal.
The 28-year-old has her medal with her this week and has been showing it to her fellow professionals, but she also hopes to inspire anyone who gets to see it.
“I have been travelling quite a bit with the medal, it’s always nice to share with friends,” she continued. “Burkey took the medal and sent a photo to everybody, that’s the whole point of it.
“I hope this medal inspires and makes people happy wherever it goes to. Inspiring the junior players or younger pro players and also for people who have been my friends supporting me the whole journey, I love to share this story with them.”
The Jack Nicklaus-designed World Cup Course is this week’s venue which sees a tree-line golf course and is being played as a par-73.
With wide fairways and small greens, Lin believes that putting will be really important to have success in Shenzhen.
She added: “I think putting is really the key. The greens are quite tiny, but they’re also kind of firm. You don’t normally have a really close chance. I would say most of the time, you will be aiming at the middle of the green.
“I heard the weather wasn’t good, but the course is in very good shape considering how much rain they have got. The greens are very different with the grass than we play in the States, so I need to adjust a little bit.
“The grain was pretty strong, the uphills and downhills are significant difference on the speed, I think whoever can roll the most putts in will definitely do well.”
The Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Shenzhen takes place on the World Cup Course at Mission Hills China from 4-6 October.
Follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #RaiseOurGame #SEETheImpact.
