Jenny Shin let out a decade of bottled emotions without an LPGA victory in an unbelievable scene on Sunday in Scotland.
She cried and hugged and cried and hugged some more while being sprayed with champagne as bagpipes serenaded her on the edge of the 18th green at Dundonald Links. It was a scene she’ll surely never forget.
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The 33-year-old South Korean shot a final-round, three-over 75 to win the ISPS Handa Scottish Women’s Open, her first victory in 236 starts over 10 years, two months and 25 days.
“I think the people around me, how they just patiently waited for me and believed in me because I never really believed in myself,” Shin said. “That’s what got me emotional.”
Shin shot 66-67-71-75 to win at nine-under 279 total. Major winner A Lim Kim shot a final-round 68 and finished two shots back. World No. 1 Nelly Korda saved her best for the final round with a 69 and finished T-16 following a missed cut at the Evian Championship.
It had been so long since Shin celebrated on an 18th green—3,737 days to be exact. Shin struggled on and off the course at times but gained new perspective six years ago.
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“I had a pretty rough patch in my career. This is my 16th year. From year eight to 12, I really struggled out here,” Shin said. “I wasn’t sure what my goal was, my motivation and purpose. I spent my prime years searching for who I am, and I don’t regret that time at all.
“I learned a lot about who I am and what I want. COVID turned around my entire life. The last four years I’ve found a spark again. I’ve always loved golf. This job is so hard. It’s such a difficult job. To continue to love this job is incredibly difficult. My No. 1 goal is to win again. Do all I can to win. I can’t believe it happened this week.”
Shin has a winner’s check—$300,00 from the $2 million purse—to prove it did happen. She’s the first player in 30 years to win after such a lengthy drought on the LPGA. The last to win after such a lengthy drought was Vicky Fergon, who won in 1984 and not again until 1986.
A spell that long was fraught with battles and realizations, much of which came to the surface during stay-at-home orders during the pandemic.
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“I was doing everything and nothing. I was doing drunk lives on Instagram. I was doing really weird stuff. But I think being jobless for six months really kind of gave me an idea what it’s like to not golf professionally,” Shin said. “I still golfed every day but yeah, it sucked not being able to do what I’m really good at. That was very important, a turning point in my life.”
Another turning point came when Shin was 9 and her family moved to Torrance, Calif., from South Korea. She won the 2006 U.S. Girls Junior at age 13, becoming the youngest winner in the event. After a decorated career at Torrance High School, she turned professional and later got her first LPGA win at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout in 2016.
She has 47 career top 10s, but until Sunday, she didn’t have a second tour victory. She was ranked 98th in the world and will surely move up that list. She has $8,327,155 million in career earnings. Yet, she had imposter syndrome 10 years ago while standing in the winner’s circle.
Not this time.
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“My first win didn’t really feel like a win at the time,” Shin said. “I didn’t feel like I deserved it. But this one definitely feels a lot different. This one feels like I earned it. I worked hard for it. I started working with my putting coach four years ago, and he asked me what my goal was, and I said I needed to win before I retire. I had been wanting it so badly in the last four years. I’m very, very excited.”
Shin won in wire-to-wire fashion, but it was no easy stroll. She had a five-shot 54-hole lead and it ballooned to eight shots after her first two holes on Sunday. Then came three consecutive bogeys on holes 6, 7 and 8 and her lead was quickly down to two. On hole No. 9, put her approach shot rolled off the green. It wasn’t a here-we-go-again-moment because she eventually made a seven-foot putt to save par. She figured that was her signature moment en route to victory.
“Just stay in it. Don’t sink the ship. Don’t mess up. I definitely have that over and over, and it was quite grim after my third bogey, and then to see the ball go off the green on No. 9, I was about to cry there,” Shin said. “I was really happen see that I sunk that seven-footer. And then to come back with a birdie on No. 10, I felt pretty comfortable. I felt like I was ready to really take on anything.”
On Shin’s bag the last couple of months has been Shane Codd, who usually caddies for Madelene Sagstrom, who is on maternity leave.
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“It’s hard when you haven’t won for 10 years, and I was just trying to keep her in the present,” Codd said. “Keep her where we were at that moment, not dwelling of what didn’t happened or thinking ahead of lifting the trophy later on. Trying to keep her in the present all day and keep talking to her and keeping her smiling, that’s basically it.
“She did really well. Under that pressure, she should be really proud of herself.”
Shin’s post-round interview revealed a bit of an Australian accent, which was a surprise to many who have watched her over the years. Her boyfriend, Australian Zoot Sanders-Vaughan, is a physio with On Course Osteo, a company that works with LPGA players on site every week.
A newish accent and a victory for Shin, who at times was at a loss for words. She said her mind was thinking about the four-hour drive to Manchester, where she’d be working with coaches in preparation for the AIG Women’s British Open that tees off on Thursday at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club.
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Her best finish at a major is a T-6 at the Women’s British Open in 2017.
“One thing at a time. I can’t wait to talk to my parents. I can’t wait to talk to my coaches. They are actually waiting for me in Manchester,” Shin said. “Really excited to see them. I can’t wait to work on my swing. I feel like the wind changed my swing a little bit. I really just want to practice. That’s what’s on my mind.”
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