'After a full 10 years,' Shin Ji-eun wins her second LPGA title at the Scottish Open: "It's unbelievable"... Korea's sixth victory brings tears of joy

*This content was translated by AI.

It took a full 10 years. Shin Ji-eun (34, Hanwha Q Cells) secured her second victory on the LPGA Tour.

On the 26th (Korean time), at Dundonald Links (par 72) in North Ayrshire, Scotland, Shin recorded a final round of 75 strokes (3-over par), with two birdies and five bogeys, in the ISPS Handa Scottish Women's Open on the LPGA Tour (total prize money: $2 million).

Finishing with a total score of 9-under par 279, Shin overtook second-place Kim A-rim (7-under par 281) by two strokes to claim the title. She took home the winning prize of $300,000 (approximately 440 million won).

Born in Seoul and moving to the United States at age nine, Shin won the 2006 U.S. Girls' Junior at just 13 years old, becoming the youngest champion in its history, before turning professional in 2010. Known as "Jennie Shin," she claimed her first LPGA Tour victory five years after her debut in May 2016 at the Texas Shootout. However, she never expected it would take 10 years and two months to lift her second trophy.

Even this season, despite competing in 13 tournaments, Shin was not a standout player; her best result of the year was a tied seventh place at the Mizuho Americas Open in May, which also marked her only top-10 finish of the season.

However, this tournament was unmistakably Shin's moment. She never relinquished the lead throughout all four rounds, achieving a wire-to-wire victory. With this win, she became the third Korean player to claim the title since Lee Mi-hyang in 2017 and Heo Mi-jung in 2019.

Heading into the final round, Shin had led by five strokes after three rounds but stumbled slightly. After holding par early on, she lost three consecutive shots starting from the 6th hole (par 3), allowing the second-place player to close the gap to within two strokes.

However, she quickly regained her focus, birdied the first hole of the back nine—the 10th (par 4)—and then carded another birdie on the 12th (par 4).

Although Kim A-rim gained momentum in the closing stages, the gap between them was too large to overcome. After losing a stroke on the 16th hole (par 4), Shin stood on the tee of the 18th (par 5) with a three-stroke lead over Kim. Her tee shot missed the fairway, but she remained composed and limited the damage to just one stroke, securing an easy victory.

After confirming her win, Shin shed tears and said, "When I won my first title, it didn't feel real. I didn't think I deserved to win; it felt like a lucky accident." Yet she added, "But this victory is completely different. I truly believe I earned it through hard work," overcome with emotion.

Continuing, Shin said, "I wasn't as nervous as I was yesterday." She added, "I felt like I played everything well, but unlike the previous three days, my shots weren't connecting, and I ended up in bunkers or thick rough, which made it less enjoyable. After three consecutive bogeys, I started wondering what would happen next. But I'm proud of myself for holding on until the end, and I'm truly happy."

Now aiming for her third title, Shin stated, "I will do my best to win again. It's unbelievable that something like this happened this week."

With Shin's victory, Korean players have secured six wins on the LPGA Tour this season. Lee Mi-hyang kicked off the streak in March with a win at Blue Bay LPGA, followed by Kim Hyo-joo's consecutive victories at the Founders Cup and Ford Championship. In June, Yoo Ha-ri claimed back-to-back major titles at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the Evian Championship, before Shin climbed to the top of the podium after a decade-long wait.

Kim A-rim finished as runner-up with a final score of 7-under par 281, showcasing remarkable late-game strength by carding five birdies and one bogey in the final round to cut the deficit by four strokes. This marked her best result of the season.

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*This content was translated by AI.