Staff WriterThey say you never forget how to ride a bike, but golf? Golf has a way of remembering exactly how you left it. For Yani Tseng, the five-time Major winner and former World No.1 who once ruled the fairways with the casual dominance of a queen on a chessboard, the game has been both a crown and a crucible.
Now, after surgeries, solitude, and soul-searching, she’s teeing it up again—this time at the PIF London Championship, the third jewel in Golf Saudi’s globe-trotting tiara known as the PIF Global Series.
From 8–10 August, Centurion Club will host not just another tournament, but something more akin to a resurrection. Tseng, now 36 and with 27 career wins in the bank (though none since 2014), returns not to silence doubters, but to answer a calling. “I just want to really enjoy my game and play joyful out there,” she said. “I just love this game so much.”
Now that’s the stuff. Not points. Not rankings. Not some swing coach’s Trackman data. Joy.
But make no mistake—this isn’t some farewell lap. It’s a genuine tilt at competition on the Ladies European Tour, and the PIF London Championship might be the most fitting backdrop for her next chapter.
After three hip surgeries and a three-year layoff that would make most of us retire to the sofa with a cup of tea and some regrets, Tseng is looking to rediscover not just her swing, but the thrill of contention.
“I would just like to put myself in contention again. That pressure, I just miss a lot. I want to challenge myself to see if I could get to that and to be able to feel that again.”
Ah, the good kind of pressure—the kind that makes your palms sweat and your putts memorable.
She’s not just here for the memories either. Tseng arrives fresh from making the cut at the AIG Women’s Open, a performance she called “a big improvement.” She added, “I feel my body’s good… all I can focus on is playing one shot at a time and not worry about it too much.” Words every club hacker should probably tattoo on their forearms.
The PIF London Championship field is about as stacked as a Vegas buffet. LET Order of Merit leader Mimi Rhodes brings her three 2025 wins. Charley Hull and Georgia Hall add local thunder.
Carlota Ciganda, Spain’s Solheim Cup wrecking ball and Golf Saudi ambassador, joins the mix alongside Major champions Celine Boutier and Patty Tavatanakit. You could fill a trophy cabinet just with the surnames.
And if Golf Saudi’s aim is to redefine women’s golf with this PIF Global Series, they’re doing a fine job. With high-profile stops in Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and now England, the initiative is reshaping opportunities for elite players, while nudging the sport into fresh territory—both geographically and financially. These aren’t just tournaments; they’re statements.
As for Tseng, this isn’t about chasing her past. It’s about finding peace in her present. “I feel like I have nothing to prove to myself. If I don’t win, I’m also happy.”
Well, we’ll see about that. Golf has a funny way of rewarding those who stop chasing and start playing. With a course like Centurion and a field this electric, there’s no telling what might happen. But if joy is the mission, Tseng may already be leading the leaderboard before the first tee shot is struck.
Tickets for the 2025 PIF London Championship are available at www.pif-london.tixr.com, for those hoping to catch lightning—and maybe a little redemption—up close.
And who knows? If the old magic sparks again, don’t be surprised if the woman once known as golf’s unstoppable force decides to make a proper run of it. Stranger things have happened. Especially in golf.
For more information on the PIF Global Series and the upcoming PIF London Championship please visit: www.pifglobalseries.com
