Mirabel Ting, college golf's No. 1 player, will make pro debut at Evian Championship

USA Today

9 hours ago

Before the world knew of her plans, Mirabel Ting wanted to first share the good news with her ailing grandfather. Growing up in Malaysia, she'd get out of school at 1:30 p.m. and head to the golf course with her older brother Malcolm and their grandfather for a quick nine holes. They'd do the same on the weekends at Miri Golf Club. Five days a week, every week.
When she and Malcolm needed money to play tournaments internationally or go to school in Australia, grandpa was there.
'He always wanted me to turn professional and play in a major,' said Ting.
The family's dream comes true next week at the Amundi Evian Championship, where Ting will make her professional debut in her first major championship.
The best player in college golf last year, Florida State's Ting is poised to take her supreme ball-striking skills to the next level.
In nine starts for the Seminoles last season, Ting won five times, finishing outside the top 3 only once – a T-6 at the Moon Invitational. She was 80 under par for the season, amassing a school single-season scoring record of 68.77. Throughout the 2024-25 season, Ting faced a total of 786 competitors and had an overall record of 770 wins, 10 losses and six ties.
'In my 25 years, she's by far the best ball-striker I've ever seen,' said FSU head coach Amy Bond.
After helping the Seminoles win their first ACC title, Ting finished the season No. 1 in the college rankings and clinched the 2025 Annika Award presented by Stifel, which came with an exemption into the Evian. She credits much of her success in 2025 – particularly her putting – to the addition of Kris Assawapimonporn, longtime swing coach of Jeeno Thitikul, to her team.
'The season I had, I was shocked,' said Ting, who leaves the Seminoles ahead of her senior year.
And while she has learned the importance of not putting too many expectations on herself, she does have one clear goal – become the first player from Malaysia to win on the LPGA.
With teammate Lottie Woad on the cusp of earning her LPGA card through the tour's new LEAP program, the Seminoles are likely to be without the two best players in the world this fall. Woad is currently No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking while Ting is No. 2.
"It's our job as coaches to get them ready for the next level," said Bond, "and they're ready."
Ting has signed with Fidelity Sports Group for representation and will be managed by FSG's CEO David Moorman and President Drew Carr.
After the Evian, she hopes to play on Malaysia's professional tour to keep sharp ahead of LPGA Qualifying School.
She'll continue to rely heavily on Michelle Koh, a former touring pro who now coaches in Malaysia and has become like a sister to Ting.
After Ting lost her father, Thomas, shortly after she arrived at Augusta University as a fresh-faced 17-year-old in the fall of 2022, it was Koh who pulled her out of a dark place.
The Augusta team was en route to a tournament in Statesboro, Georgia, when then head coach Caroline Haase-Hegg heard players saying 'Coach, Coach,' from the back of the van. Haase-Hegg looked back to see a devastated Ting, who'd just received word that her father had died from a massive heart attack.
'It was horrible,' said Haase-Hegg. 'We were right about to Statesboro, and I didn't know what to do. Do we turn around; do we keep going?'
She called Georgia Southern coach Mimi Burke, who, like Haase-Hegg, has Purdue roots. They drove to Burke's home, sat together as a team and cried.
Just a few years prior, Ting lost her beloved grandmother while she was studying abroad in Australia. It was during the COVID pandemic in 2020, and she couldn't go home.
'I'm the only granddaughter in the family,' said Ting. 'My grandma really, really adores me. … When she was gone, it just feels like a piece of me just disappeared.'
When her dad died not long after, it felt like another part had vanished.
Ting was up late in Thailand on Wednesday night talking about the past and looking ahead to the future because she was afraid to go to sleep. Doctors had already told the family that her grandfather, Ng Siaw Pheng, had taken a turn for the worse, and she was anxious to get back home.
She couldn't wait to show him a graphic made by the Florida State athletic department declaring the news of her decision.
While next week's Evian Championship offers an opportunity to make life-changing money, Ting isn't thinking about that. The week will ultimately be a chance to honor her family.
'I'm not actually playing for myself at the Evian,' said a grateful Ting.
'I'm actually playing for three people – my grandma, my dad and my grandfather.'
They'll be with her the whole way.