Yani Tseng Net Worth

What is Yani Tseng's net worth?

Yani Tseng is a Taiwanese professional golfer who has a net worth of $16 million. Yani Tseng burst onto the global stage in her teens, dominating women's golf with five major championships and more than a dozen LPGA titles by the time she turned 23. From 2011 to 2013, she held the world No. 1 ranking for a remarkable 109 consecutive weeks, becoming the youngest golfer of either gender to win five majors. Her combination of power, precision, and poise drew comparisons to Tiger Woods, and she appeared destined to become an all-time great. But after an extraordinary start, Tseng's game collapsed under the weight of injuries, the "yips," and technical struggles that derailed her confidence for more than a decade. Her 2025 comeback victory, achieved by switching to putting left-handed, marked one of the most remarkable redemption stories in golf.

Early Life

Yani Tseng was born on January 23, 1989, in Guishan District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. She began playing golf at the age of 5, showing early signs of rare natural ability. Her parents supported her talent by enrolling her in local junior tournaments, and by her early teens, she was already one of Asia's most promising amateurs. Tseng's success on the junior circuit included a victory at the 2004 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, which made her the first Taiwanese golfer to win a USGA event. After turning professional in 2007, she joined the LPGA Tour in 2008 and immediately began rewriting the record books.

Professional Career

Tseng's rookie season was nothing short of extraordinary. In 2008, she won her first major championship at the LPGA Championship at just 19 years old, earning Rookie of the Year honors. Over the next four seasons, she became nearly unstoppable. Between 2010 and 2012, Tseng won 11 LPGA tournaments, including the Women's British Open (twice), the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and the Women's LPGA Championship. Her dominance on both the LPGA and Ladies European Tour made her the global face of women's golf, and she was celebrated for her composure, humility, and explosive swing.

However, after her peak in 2012, Tseng's game began to unravel. She battled injuries, swing changes, and mounting pressure as her confidence eroded. By 2017, she had fallen out of the top 500 in the world rankings. The most crippling issue was her putting. Tseng developed a severe case of the "yips," a neurological condition that causes involuntary spasms during short putts. At times, she missed putts by 20 feet intentionally, knowing she couldn't make short ones. For nearly a decade, she failed to win a single event and missed the cut in nearly every major tournament she entered.

Her return began in 2024 after partnering with swing coach Brady Riggs. Riggs helped her rediscover her old mechanics and proposed a bold experiment: putting left-handed to rewire her brain. To everyone's surprise—including Tseng's—the unorthodox approach worked. In 2025, she won the Ladies European Tour's Wistron Ladies Open in Taiwan, her first professional victory in over ten years. The emotional win was a full-circle moment for Tseng, marking the end of her long struggle and signaling a potential new chapter in her career.

Getty Images

Contracts, Endorsements & Career Earnings

At the height of her fame, Yani Tseng was one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world. During her peak years from 2010 to 2012, she earned an estimated $5 to $6 million annually from tournament winnings and endorsements. Tseng's total career prize money on the LPGA Tour has exceeded $10 million, making her one of the top-earning Asian players in tour history.

Her endorsements included major deals with Adidas, Rolex, Callaway, and Taiwan-based Chunghwa Telecom, reflecting her immense popularity in both Asia and the United States. She also appeared in advertising campaigns for Lexus and Cathay Financial Holdings. When she was ranked No. 1, Tseng's endorsement portfolio rivaled those of her American counterparts like Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie. However, her sponsorship income dropped sharply after her performance decline post-2013, with several major contracts lapsing or being restructured.

Despite those setbacks, Tseng maintained financial stability through appearance fees, international exhibition events, and ongoing partnerships in Asia. Her 2025 comeback is expected to revive her marketability and restore interest from global sponsors who once viewed her as the face of Asian golf.

Legacy and Comeback

Yani Tseng's story is one of both brilliance and resilience. Few athletes in any sport have risen so quickly or fallen so hard, only to claw their way back through reinvention. Her left-handed putting experiment, which helped her overcome years of frustration, has become a symbol of perseverance and neuroplasticity in sports.

Beyond her personal triumphs, Tseng remains an inspiration to young golfers in Taiwan and across Asia. She opened the door for future generations of Asian champions, including Lydia Ko, Shanshan Feng, and Patty Tavatanakit. Her combination of early dominance and hard-earned redemption has ensured her a lasting place in the history of women's golf—not just as a champion, but as a survivor who rediscovered joy in the game that once broke her heart.

Who's Richer?

Yani
Tseng

Compare!

Tiger
Woods