Shin Ji-eun smiles with the winner's trophy. [Photo=LPGA]
Shin Ji-eun smiles with the winner's trophy. [Photo=LPGA]

Shin Ji-eun claimed an emotional wire-to-wire victory at the LPGA Tour's ISPS Handa Scottish Women's Open (purse: $2 million) on Sunday, ending a winless drought of more than 10 years.

Playing the final round at Dundonald Links (par 72, 6,457 yards) in North Ayrshire, Scotland, Shin carded two birdies and five bogeys for a 3-over 75, but her cushion proved sufficient. She finished at 9-under-par 279, beating runner-up Kim A-rim by two strokes to complete the wire-to-wire win. The winner's check was $300,000 (about 440 million won).

Now in her 16th year on tour, Shin lifted the winner's trophy for just the second time in her career — her first came at the VOA America Shootout (then known as the Texas Shootout) in May 2016, making Sunday's victory her first in 10 years and two months.

The final round was a test of nerve from the start. Shin entered the day with a five-stroke lead and extended it to eight through five holes with a string of pars. But the notorious sea winds of the Scottish links course and the pressure of a potential victory began to take their toll. She bogeyed holes 6, 7 and 8 in succession, allowing the field to close to within two strokes.

Shin did not fold. On the par-4 9th, she holed a testing 3-meter par putt to stop the bleeding, then rebuilt her lead with birdies on holes 10 and 12. She converted a 2-meter birdie putt on the par-4 10th and a 50-centimeter birdie on the 12th.

She added bogeys on holes 16 and 18 but crossed the finish line without further drama. After sinking the champion's putt, Shin was doused in champagne by fellow players and broke down in tears she had long held back. "I didn't believe in myself, but the people around me quietly waited for me and believed in me — when that hit me, I cried," she said.

Shin first drew attention as a prodigy when she won the US Girls' Junior Championship at 13, the youngest champion in the event's history. After joining the LPGA Tour in 2011, she endured more than a decade without a title across 16 seasons on tour.

In her post-round interview, Shin said the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a turning point. "I spent six months without a job and got a sense of what life without professional golf would feel like," she said. "I played every day, but not being able to do what I'm good at as a profession was painful. It became an important turning point in my life."

On the final round, Shin said she was less nervous than the day before. "I felt like I was doing the right things, but the shots weren't sticking close to the pins the way they had over the previous three days — I was finding bunkers and bushes, so it wasn't an enjoyable round," she said. "When I made three bogeys in a row, I thought, 'Hmm, I'm not sure where this is going.' But I held on to the end. I'm proud of myself and very happy."

Shin also spoke candidly about the difference between her first and second victories. "When I won the first time, it didn't really feel real," she said. "I didn't feel like I deserved to win — it felt like a result I had stumbled into. But this win feels clearly different. It feels like a victory I earned through hard work."

With Shin's win, Korean players have now claimed three consecutive LPGA titles this season and combined for six victories. The run began with Lee Mi-hyang's Blue Bay LPGA win in March, followed by Kim Hyo-joo's two victories at the Founders Cup and the Ford Championship, Ryu Hae-ran's back-to-back major wins at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship, and now Shin joining the champions' parade.

Kim A-rim shot a final-round 4-under 68 to finish at 7-under 281, taking second place. She finished two strokes ahead of solo third-place finisher Pajaree Anannarukarn of Thailand.

Kim Hyo-joo parred all 18 holes in her final round to finish at 2-over 290, tying world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States for a share of 16th place.


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