"A game that even surprised me, a possessed performance": Shin Da-in achieves historic back-to-back titles at the KG Ladies Open

*This content was translated by AI.

Shin Da-in (25) made history by becoming the first player in KLPGA Tour's KG Ladies Open to successfully defend her title, securing back-to-back victories and claiming her first title defense of the season.

On the 30th, Shin shot a final-round 64 under par 8 (9 birdies and 1 bogey) at the tournament held at Yongin Sunny Point Country Club (par 72). Finishing with a total score of 17 under par 271, she recorded her second career victory on tour.

As a result, Shin Da-in claimed the first-place prize money of 180 million won and received a KGM Actyon HYBE Ride vehicle as an award. With this win, her Grand Prize points rose from 27th to 12th, and her earnings ranking jumped vertically from 39th to 19th.

Starting the final round tied for first place, Shin Da-in surged ahead with five consecutive birdies from holes 3 through 7 in the front nine to take sole possession of the lead. After paring the 8th hole (par 4), she faced a crisis on the 9th hole (par 5) when her ball struck both the cart path and a flowerbed, committing her first bogey and allowing a one-stroke chase.

But she remained unfazed. Shin secured back-to-back birdies on holes 10 and 11 in the back nine to widen the gap again. She then sealed the victory with a birdie on the 15th hole (par 4), followed by sinking a crucial 7-meter wedge putt on the 17th hole (par 4).

According to KLPGA, Shin said in her victory interview, "I heard that no player had ever successfully defended their title at this tournament before, and I wanted to be the first." She added, "My recent form wasn't great, and my confidence was low, but after playing the first two rounds, I regained my feel. I focused on the fact that Sunny Point suits me well, and I'm truly happy to have achieved a successful defense."

She continued, "Last year's win was seen as a 'surprise victory,' so this season I wanted to prove that I am a player with the ability to win at any time. Although I considered adjusting my swing after consecutive missed cuts early in the season, trusting my own swing and focusing on timing proved effective. My driver distance increased by 10–15 meters, and training with wedges within 100 meters along with strong mid-range putting contributed to this victory."

Regarding the challenges she faced during the tournament, she said, "I was nervous enough for my hands to tremble at times, and I even had a scare on the 9th hole. But my caddie, who has been working with me since June, told me, 'You've earned quite a bit already, so let's refocus from the next hole,' which helped stabilize my mental state." She smiled and added, "It was a 'possessed game' where putts kept falling in succession, surprising even myself."

When asked about the fate of the car she received as a prize, she shared, "Last year I gave the injury-related car to my father, but this year I plan to gift it to my older brother who doesn't have a car."

Finally, Shin Da-in stated, "This victory was made possible thanks to the support and prayers from fans at the venue. I will not rest on this win and will strive to achieve two victories this season."

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*This content was translated by AI.