Shanshan Feng of China proudly holds the trophy after her victory in the final round of the 2015 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club on December 12, 2015 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
Feng also broke down barriers in style, wearing bright-colored clothes and audacious prints, like her famous cow pants. She was a terrific example of work, balance and fun. Who better to lead the next generation of Chinese stars?
Last December, Feng took the job as head coach of the Chinese women’s national team. When she was a kid, Feng said, adults would marvel at her swing at the golf course because she was often the only youngster there.
That’s no longer the case.
“Right now, you’ll see almost half of the people are teenagers or kids,” she said. “There are so many people starting to play golf. … I think that’s the biggest change, and I’m very happy to see that.”
Feng is humble about what her success has meant to the game of golf in China, and she’s excited to give back in this new role.
Every year the Chinese press would ask her to put a grade on the year. If she had to grade her whole career, Feng said, she’d give herself a perfect score of 100.
The only goal Feng said she didn’t accomplish was getting into the LPGA Hall of Fame. But that doesn’t matter, she said.
“During the career, I wanted to be better and better but if you look back, my first goal was only to get on the LPGA,” she said. “I think I’ve gone really far compared to that goal. I really gave 100 percent during my whole career.”
No regrets.
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