Jiyai Shin (; ; born 28 April 1988) is a South Korean professional golfer. She primarily plays on the LPGA of Japan Tour. Shin previously played primarily on the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Korea Tour (KLPGA). She has broken existing KLPGA records, winning 10 events in 19 starts on the KLPGA Tour in 2007. In 2008, playing only 10 tournaments on the LPGA Tour as a non-member, she won three events, including the Women's British Open and the ADT Championship.
Shin has been ranked No. 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings for 25 weeks and was the first Asian to be ranked No. 1. With 60+ wins worldwide on six different tours, she is the winningest Korean golfer, male or female, of all time.
Early life and amateur career In 2004, at the age 16, Shin's mother was killed in a car accident. Her younger brother and sister were seriously injured and spent nearly a year in a hospital. Her mother's life insurance money funded the beginning of her golf career.
In 2005, while she was still in high school, Shin was the only amateur to win a KLPGA event that season when she won the SK Enclean Invitational.
Professional career LPGA of Korea Tour In 2005, Shin turned professional. Returning to the KLPGA as a rookie in 2006, she started her year with a pair of third-place finishes in her first two events and went on to claim three wins on the season.
2007 marked Shin's breakout year. She played 19 events on the KLPGA and won 10 of them, shattering all existing Tour records. She also ventured onto the LPGA Tour for the first time and played three of the four women's major championships. At the U.S. Women's Open she finished sixth. The next month at the Evian Masters, an event on the LPGA Tour and a major on the Ladies European Tour, she finished tied for third. Shin finished 2007 ranked 8th in the world, the highest ranked Korean of all, and the only non-LPGA member who ranked in the top ten.
Opening 2008 at the Women's World Cup of Golf, Shin and number two KLPGA player Eun-Hee Ji succumbed to the Philippines pair of Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin with a score of −16 after 3rd and final day of competition. Philippines scored −18 and received the $240,000 cheque.
Shin then played at the Women's Australian Open where she finished 2nd, losing to Karrie Webb in a playoff.
Shin won the Women's British Open in Berkshire, England for her first LPGA Tour and major win. This made her the first non-member of the LPGA Tour to win a major since Laura Davies won the U.S. Women's Open in 1987. She won the 2008 Mizuno Classic in November, shooting scores of 68, 66 and 67. She was six shots ahead of the next competitor to win at −15 (201), to notch her second LPGA career win. Two weeks later she won the ADT Championship, the culminating event in the season-long LPGA playoff series, and claimed the $1 million prize. She became the first-ever non-LPGA member to win three LPGA Tour tournaments.
LPGA Tour Shin's wins in LPGA Tour events in 2008 qualified her for LPGA membership in 2009. She got off to a slow start as an LPGA member, missing her first cut ever in an LPGA Tour tournament at the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay. She rebounded and won the third event of the season, the limited field HSBC Women's Champions, scoring 66 in both the third and fourth rounds. She won again in June at the full-field Wegmans LPGA tournament and in September at the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship. By the first week of November she officially clinched the LPGA Rookie of the Year award.
On 2 May, Shin won the Cyber Agent Ladies on the LPGA of Japan Tour. On 3 May, she became the World Number 1 ranked women's golfer, replacing Lorena Ochoa who finished in sixth place in an LPGA Tour tournament the previous day.Shin gains No. 1 world ranking She held the position until it was taken over by Ai Miyazato on 21 June 2010 and regained it on 26 July after winning the Evian Masters.
On 19 September, Shin won the MetLife-Korea Economics KLPGA Championship, one of the major championships on the LPGA of Korea Tour. With this victory, Shin qualified for the KLPGA Hall of Fame, although she has to fulfill her career as professional golfer for 10 years before membership can be official. If she continues her professional career, she will be the third Hall of Famer in 2015, after Ok-Hee Ku and Se Ri Pak.Jiyai Shin enters Hall of Fame (article in Korean)
LPGA of Japan Tour Shin gave up her LPGA Tour membership before the start of the season to be nearer to her family in Korea and played on the LPGA of Japan Tour, winning four times during the 2014 season.
Shin won the Cyber Agent Ladies in early May for the second time in her career. She birdied three of the final five holes on the back nine to win by one stroke over Erika Kikuchi of Japan. This victory is her 10th win on the JLPGA Tour.
Awards and honors In 2005, Shin earned the KLPGA's Rookie of the Year award. In 2006, Shin won the KLPGA's money list. In 2007 and 2008, led the KLPGA's money list once more and also earned Player of the Year honors. In 2009, Shin earned the LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. She also won the money list. In 2009, Shin was awarded a Talent Medal of Korea by the President of South Korea. In 2015, she entered the KLPGA's Hall of Fame. In 2018, she earned LPGA of Japan Tour's Player of the Year award.
Personal life Shin currently owns a home in Atlanta, Georgia, where she lives with her brother, stepmother, and father.
Professional wins (67) LPGA Tour wins (11) Legend Major championships (2) Other LPGA Tour (9) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up13 Aug 2008Women's British Open66-68-70-66=270−183 strokes Yani Tseng29 Nov 2008Mizuno Classic68-66-67=201−156 strokes Mayu Hattori323 Nov 2008ADT Championship69-75-71-701 stroke Karrie Webb48 Mar 2009HSBC Women's Champions72-73-66-66=277−112 strokes Katherine Hull528 Jun 2009Wegmans LPGA65-68-67-71=271−177 strokes Kristy McPherson Yani Tseng613 Sep 2009P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship70-70-64=207−9Playoff Angela Stanford Sun Young Yoo725 Jul 2010Evian Masters70-69-68-67=274−141 stroke Na Yeon Choi Morgan Pressel Alexis Thompson87 Nov 2010Mizuno Classic65-66-67=198−182 strokes Yani Tseng910 Sep 2012Kingsmill Championship62-68-69-69=268−16Playoff Paula Creamer1016 Sep 2012Ricoh Women's British Open71-64-71-73=279−99 strokes Inbee Park1117 Feb 2013ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open65-67-70-72=274−182 strokes Yani Tseng
LPGA Tour playoff record (2–0) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result12009P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship Angela Stanford Sun Young YooWon with birdie on second extra hole22012Kingsmill Championship Paula CreamerWon with par on ninth extra hole Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour. Co-sanctioned by the LPGA of Japan Tour. Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour and the Ladies European Tour.
Ladies European Tour wins (6) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner-up13 Aug 2008Women's British Open66-68-70-66=270−183 strokes Yani Tseng225 Jul 2010Evian Masters70-69-68-67=274−141 stroke Na Yeon Choi Morgan Pressel Alexis Thompson316 Sep 2012Ricoh Women's British Open71-64-71-73=279−99 strokes Inbee Park417 Feb 2013ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open65-67-70-72=274−182 strokes Yani Tseng528 Feb 2016RACV Ladies Masters68-70-71-69=278−143 strokes Holly Clyburn611 Feb 2018ActewAGL Canberra Classic 65-68-64=197−196 strokes Minjee Lee Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour. Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour and the LPGA Tour. Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour. Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in LET.
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (32) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMarginof victoryRunner(s)-up123 Mar 2008Yokohama Tire PRGR Ladies Cup70-69-73=212−4Playoff Sakura Yokomine29 Nov 2008Mizuno Classic68-66-67=201−156 strokes Mayu Hattori325 Oct 2009Masters GC Ladies70-70-68-208−8Playoff Yuko Mitsuka Akiko Fukushima42 May 2010Cyber Agent Ladies72-70-66=208−82 strokes Akane Iijima Miho Koga57 Nov 2010Mizuno Classic65-66-67=198−182 strokes Yani Tseng622 Jun 2014Nichirei Ladies69-65-70=204−124 strokes Hikari Fujita Rumi Yoshiba710 Aug 2014Meiji Cup70-66-68=204−122 strokes Teresa Lu831 Aug 2014Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament67-71-70=208−83 strokes Saiki Fujita Lee Bo-mee921 Sep 2014Munsingwear Ladies Tokai Classic68-67-67=202−141 stroke Lee Na-ri103 May 2015Cyber Agent Ladies68-71-69=208−81 strokeErika Kikuchi1121 Jun 2015Nichirei Ladies71-67-67=205−111 stroke Lee Ji-hee1229 Nov 2015Japan LPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup70-71-72-68=281−76 strokes Shiho Oyama1315 May 2016Hoken No Madoguchi Ladies71-67-68=206−102 strokes Kim Ha-neul Lee Bo-mee1419 Jun 2016Nichirei Ladies67-69-68=204−123 strokes Minami Katsu (a)1530 Oct 2016Hisako Higuchi Mitsubishi Electric Ladies Golf Tournament69-72-66=207−9 1 stroke Lee Ji-hee1625 Aug 2017Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament69-65-70-74=278−10 2 strokes Babe Liu1719 Nov 2017Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open70-66-68-67=271−172 strokes Ai Suzuki186 May 2018World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup74-71-70-70=285−31 stroke Ai Suzuki192 Sep 2018Golf5 Ladies64-68-70=202−14Playoff Sakura Koiwai209 Sep 2018Japan LPGA Championship Konica Minolta Cup67-66-71-68=272−169 strokes Ahn Sun-ju Chung Jae-eun2125 Nov 2018Japan LPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup66-73-70-68=277−11Playoff Bae Hee-kyung2214 Apr 2019Studio Alice Women's Open68-70-69=207−91 stroke Erika Kikuchi Saki Takeo2328 Apr 2019Fujisankei Ladies Classic70-72-63=205−82 strokes Hinako Shibuno Ai Suzuki Hikaru Yoshimoto2430 Jun 2019Earth Mondahmin Cup67-66-68-72=273−153 strokes Erika Hara Mika Miyazato2518 Oct 2020Fujitsu Ladies Golf Tournament70-70-69=209−72 strokes Bae Seon-woo Ayaka Furue268 Nov 2020Toto Japan Classic66-65-66=197−193 strokes Yuka Saso2720 Jun 2021Nichirei Ladies70-70-66=206−10Playoff Jeon Mi-jeong2825 Jul 2021Daito Kentaku Eheyanet Ladies68-68-66-71=273−155 strokes Mayu Hamada Jeon Mi-jeong Reika Usui Ayaka Watanabe295 Mar 2023Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament73-69-65-71=278−103 strokes Mone Inami Momoko Ueda3025 Jun 2023Earth Mondahmin Cup68-65-74-68=275−13Playoff Akie Iwai3111 May 2025World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup71-70-67-73=281−7Playoff Saiki Fujita324 Oct 2026Japan Women's Open Golf Championship68-68-67-66=269−11Playoff Shiho Kuwaki Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour. Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in JLPGA.
LPGA of Korea Tour wins (21)