# Jiyai Shin

Jiyai Shin (Korean: 신지애; RR: Sin Jiae;; born 28 April 1988) is a former world No. 1 ranked South Korean professional golfer who primarily plays on the LPGA of Japan Tour. She 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. She 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 65 wins worldwide on six different tours, she is the winningest Korean golfer, male or female, of all time.

## Amateur 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. She turned professional at the end of the 2005 season.

## Professional career
### 2006

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

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.

### 2008

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 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 tournaments.

### 2009

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 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.
She had been awarded a Talent Medal of Korea by the President of Korea in 2009.

### 2010

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 tournament the previous day. 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.

### 2014

Shin gave up her LPGA 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.

### 2015

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.

## Honors and awards

2005
* KLPGA Rookie of the Year
* KLPGA Best Amateur
2006
* KLPGA Money list leader
2007
* KLPGA Player of the Year
* KLPGA Money list leader
2008
* KLPGA Player of the Year
* KLPGA Money list leader
2009
* LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year
* LPGA Tour Money list leader
* Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year
2015
* KLPGA Hall of Fame
2018
* LPGA of Japan Tour Player of the Year

## Personal life

In 2004 at 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. Shin currently owns a home in Atlanta, Georgia, where she lives with her brother, stepmother, and father.

## Endorsements

Shin has endorsement deals with Three Bond Holdings, Jatco, M.U Sports & Ecco.

## Professional wins (65)
### LPGA Tour wins (11)

* Legend
* Major championships (2)
* Other LPGA Tour (9)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 3 Aug 2008 | Ricoh Women's British Open | 66-68-70-66=270 | −18 | 3 strokes | Yani Tseng |
| 2 | 9 Nov 2008 | Mizuno Classic | 68-66-67=201 | −15 | 6 strokes | Mayu Hattori |
| 3 | 23 Nov 2008 | ADT Championship | 69-75-71-70 | | 1 stroke | Karrie Webb |
| 4 | 8 Mar 2009 | HSBC Women's Champions | 72-73-66-66=277 | −11 | 2 strokes | Katherine Hull |
| 5 | 28 Jun 2009 | Wegmans LPGA | 65-68-67-71=271 | −17 | 7 strokes | Kristy McPherson Yani Tseng |
| 6 | 13 Sep 2009 | P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship | 70-70-64=207 | −9 | Playoff | Angela Stanford Sun Young Yoo |
| 7 | 25 Jul 2010 | Evian Masters | 70-69-68-67=274 | −14 | 1 stroke | Na Yeon Choi Morgan Pressel Alexis Thompson |
| 8 | 7 Nov 2010 | Mizuno Classic | 65-66-67=198 | −18 | 2 strokes | Yani Tseng |
| 9 | 10 Sep 2012 | Kingsmill Championship | 62-68-69-69=268 | −16 | Playoff | Paula Creamer |
| 10 | 16 Sep 2012 | Ricoh Women's British Open | 71-64-71-73=279 | −9 | 9 strokes | Inbee Park |
| 11 | 17 Feb 2013 | ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open | 65-67-70-72=274 | −18 | 2 strokes | Yani Tseng |
LPGA Tour playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 2009 | P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship | Angela Stanford Sun Young Yoo | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2012 | Kingsmill Championship | Paula Creamer | Won with par on ninth extra hole |
$^1$ Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour. $^2$ Co-sanctioned by the LPGA of Japan Tour. $^3$ Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour and the Ladies European Tour.

### Ladies European Tour wins (6)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 3 Aug 2008 | Ricoh Women's British Open | 66-68-70-66=270 | −18 | 3 strokes | Yani Tseng |
| 2 | 25 Jul 2010 | Evian Masters | 70-69-68-67=274 | −14 | 1 stroke | Na Yeon Choi Morgan Pressel Alexis Thompson |
| 3 | 16 Sep 2012 | Ricoh Women's British Open | 71-64-71-73=279 | −9 | 9 strokes | Inbee Park |
| 4 | 17 Feb 2013 | ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open | 65-67-70-72=274 | −18 | 2 strokes | Yani Tseng |
| 5 | 28 Feb 2016 | RACV Ladies Masters | 68-70-71-69=278 | −14 | 3 strokes | Holly Clyburn |
| 6 | 11 Feb 2018 | ActewAGL Canberra Classic | 65-68-64=197 | −19 | 6 strokes | Minjee Lee |
$^4$ Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour. $^5$ Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour and the LPGA Tour. $^6$ Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour. Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in LET.

### LPGA of Japan Tour wins (30)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 23 Mar 2008 | Yokohama Tire PRGR Ladies Cup | 70-69-73=212 | −4 | Playoff | Sakura Yokomine |
| 2 | 9 Nov 2008 | Mizuno Classic | 68-66-67=201 | −15 | 6 strokes | Mayu Hattori |
| 3 | 25 Oct 2009 | Masters GC Ladies | 70-70-68-208 | −8 | Playoff | Yuko Mitsuka Akiko Fukushima |
| 4 | 2 May 2010 | Cyber Agent Ladies | 72-70-66=208 | −8 | 2 strokes | Akane Iijima Miho Koga |
| 5 | 7 Nov 2010 | Mizuno Classic | 65-66-67=198 | −18 | 2 strokes | Yani Tseng |
| 6 | 22 Jun 2014 | Nichirei Ladies | 69-65-70=204 | −12 | 4 strokes | Hikari Fujita Rumi Yoshiba |
| 7 | 10 Aug 2014 | Meiji Cup | 70-66-68=204 | −12 | 2 strokes | Teresa Lu |
| 8 | 31 Aug 2014 | Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament | 67-71-70=208 | −8 | 3 strokes | Saiki Fujita Lee Bo-mee |
| 9 | 21 Sep 2014 | Munsingwear Ladies Tokai Classic | 68-67-67=202 | −14 | 1 stroke | Lee Na-ri |
| 10 | 3 May 2015 | Cyber Agent Ladies | 68-71-69=208 | −8 | 1 stroke | Erika Kikuchi |
| 11 | 21 Jun 2015 | Nichirei Ladies | 71-67-67=205 | −11 | 1 stroke | Lee Ji-hee |
| 12 | 29 Nov 2015 | Japan LPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup | 70-71-72-68=281 | −7 | 6 strokes | Shiho Oyama |
| 13 | 15 May 2016 | Hoken No Madoguchi Ladies | 71-67-68=206 | −10 | 2 strokes | Kim Ha-neul Lee Bo-mee |
| 14 | 19 Jun 2016 | Nichirei Ladies | 67-69-68=204 | −12 | 3 strokes | Minami Katsu (a) |
| 15 | 30 Oct 2016 | Hisako Higuchi Mitsubishi Electric Ladies Golf Tournament | 69-72-66=207 | −9 | 1 stroke | Lee Ji-hee |
| 16 | 25 Aug 2017 | Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament | 69-65-70-74=278 | −10 | 2 strokes | Babe Liu |
| 17 | 19 Nov 2017 | Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open | 70-66-68-67=271 | −17 | 2 strokes | Ai Suzuki |
| 18 | 6 May 2018 | World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup | 74-71-70-70=285 | −3 | 1 stroke | Ai Suzuki |
| 19 | 2 Sep 2018 | Golf5 Ladies | 64-68-70=202 | −14 | Playoff | Sakura Koiwai |
| 20 | 9 Sep 2018 | Japan LPGA Championship Konica Minolta Cup | 67-66-71-68=272 | −16 | 9 strokes | Ahn Sun-ju Chung Jae-eun |
| 21 | 25 Nov 2018 | Japan LPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup | 66-73-70-68=277 | −11 | Playoff | Bae Hee-kyung |
| 22 | 14 Apr 2019 | Studio Alice Women's Open | 68-70-69=207 | −9 | 1 stroke | Erika Kikuchi Saki Takeo |
| 23 | 28 Apr 2019 | Fujisankei Ladies Classic | 70-72-63=205 | −8 | 2 strokes | Hinako Shibuno Ai Suzuki Hikaru Yoshimoto |
| 24 | 30 Jun 2019 | Earth Mondahmin Cup | 67-66-68-72=273 | −15 | 3 strokes | Erika Hara Mika Miyazato |
| 25 | 18 Oct 2020 | Fujitsu Ladies Golf Tournament | 70-70-69=209 | −7 | 2 strokes | Bae Seon-woo Ayaka Furue |
| 26 | 8 Nov 2020 | Toto Japan Classic | 66-65-66=197 | −19 | 3 strokes | Yuka Saso |
| 27 | 20 Jun 2021 | Nichirei Ladies | 70-70-66=206 | −10 | Playoff | Jeon Mi-jeong |
| 28 | 25 Jul 2021 | Daito Kentaku Eheyanet Ladies | 68-68-66-71=273 | −15 | 5 strokes | Mayu Hamada Jeon Mi-jeong Reika Usui Ayaka Watanabe |
| 29 | 5 Mar 2023 | Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament | 73-69-65-71=278 | −10 | 3 strokes | Mone Inami Momoko Ueda |
| 30 | 25 Jun 2023 | Earth Mondahmin Cup | 68-65-74-68=275 | −13 | Playoff | Akie Iwai |
$^7$ Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour. Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in JLPGA.

### LPGA of Korea Tour wins (21)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 11 Sep 2005 | SK Enclean Invitational (as an amateur) | −11 (68-67-70=205) | 2 strokes | Kyeong Bae |
| 2 | 21 May 2006 | Taeyoung Cup Korea Women's Open | −11 (67-73-65=205) | 2 strokes | Cristie Kerr |
| 3 | 8 Sep 2006 | PAVV Invitational | −12 (68-66-70=204) | 1 stroke | Hye-Jin Jung |
| 4 | 19 Nov 2006 | Orient China Ladies Open | −17 (72-66-64-69=271) | 8 strokes | Na Yeon Choi |
| 5 | 27 Apr 2007 | MBC Tour MCSquare Cup Crown CC Ladies Open | E (76-73-67=216) | Playoff | Joo-Eun Lee |
| 6 | 3 Jun 2007 | Hill State Open | −12 (67-71-66=204) | 1 stroke | Eun-Hee Ji |
| 7 | 15 Jun 2007 | MBC Tour BC Card Classic | −12 (71-67-66=204) | 1 stroke | Ji-Yeon Woo |
| 8 | 23 Jun 2007 | KB Star Tour 3rd Tournament at Pohang | −16 (66-68-66=200) | 2 stroke | Eun-Hee Ji |
| 9 | 8 Sep 2007 | KB Star Tour 4th Tournament at Cheongwon | −10 (69-65=134) | 2 strokes | Na Yeon Choi |
| 10 | 16 Sep 2007 | SK Energy Invitational | −12 (68-66-70=204) | 5 strokes | Hee Young Park Jin Joo Hong |
| 11 | 7 Oct 2007 | Samsung Finance Ladies Championship | −8 (71-67-70=208) | 2 strokes | Hyun Hee Moon |
| 12 | 28 Oct 2007 | Interburgo Masters | −9 (71-72-67=210) | 5 strokes | Na Yeon Choi |
| 13 | 25 Nov 2007 | ADT CAPS Championship | −5 (74-69-68=211) | 3 strokes | Seon-Wook Lim |
| 14 | 16 Dec 2007 | China Ladies Open | −13 (68-68-67=203) | 5 strokes | Yani Tseng |
| 15 | 20 Apr 2008 | Woori Investment & Securities Ladies Championship | −13 (66-70-67=203) | 1 stroke | Ilhee Lee |
| 16 | 18 May 2008 | Taeyoung Cup Korea Women's Open | −3 (75-69-69=213) | Playoff | So Yeon Ryu |
| 17 | 15 Jun 2008 | BC Card Classic | −5 (68-71-72=211) | Playoff | Min-Sun Kim Hyun-Ji Kim |
| 18 | 26 Sep 2008 | Shinsegae KLPGA Championship | −7 (67-70-72=209) | 2 strokes | Sun Ju Ahn |
| 19 | 18 Oct 2008 | Hite Cup Championship | −13 (68-67-68=203) | 2 strokes | Kang Soo-yun |
| 20 | 26 Oct 2008 | KB Star Tour Grand Final at Incheon | −3 (66-74-70-73=285) | Playoff | Sun Ju Ahn He-Yong Choi |
| 21 | 19 Sep 2010 | J Golf Series MetLife-Korea Economic Daily KLPGA Championship | −12 (66-72-68-70=276) | 4 strokes | Kim Hye-youn |
Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in KLPGA

### Ladies Asian Golf Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 9 Feb 2007 | Thailand Ladies Open | −10 (67-72-67=206) | 10 strokes | Da-ye Na |

### WPGA Tour of Australasia wins (5)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 17 Feb 2013 | ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open | 65-67-70-72=274 | −18 | 2 strokes | Yani Tseng |
| 2 | 28 Feb 2016 | RACV Ladies Masters | 68-70-71-69=278 | −14 | 3 strokes | Holly Clyburn |
| 3 | 11 Feb 2018 | ActewAGL Canberra Classic | 65-68-64=197 | −19 | 6 strokes | Minjee Lee |
| 2 | 12 Feb 2023 | Women's Victorian Open | 67-71-66-71=275 | −14 | 5 strokes | Grace Kim Pavarisa Yoktuan |
| 5 | 1 Dec 2024 | ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open | 69-68-67-70=274 | −17 | 2 strokes | Ashleigh Buhai |
$^8$ Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. $^9$ Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour.

## Major championships
### Wins (2)

| No. | Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1 | 2008 | Ricoh Women's British Open | −18 (66-68-70-66=270) | 3 strokes | Yani Tseng |
| 2 | 2012 | Ricoh Women's British Open | −9 (71-64-71-73=279) | 9 strokes | Inbee Park |

### Results timeline

Results not in chronological order.
| Tournament | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2016 | 2017 | 2019 | 2020 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Chevron Championship | T15 | T31 | T21 | T5 | T29 | T26 | T7 | T16 | | | T21 | | | T23 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 6 | T19 | T13 | T5 | T10 | | CUT | | | CUT | CUT | | T2 | T39 |
| Women's PGA Championship | | | 3 | T3 | T34 | | T5 | | | T11 | | | | CUT |
| The Evian Championship ^ | | | | | | | T44 | | | | | NT | T54 | |
| Women's British Open | T28 | 1 | T8 | T14 | 21 | 1 | T36 | T29 | T60 | | | | 3 | T2 |
^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.
CUT = missed the half-way cut NT = no tournament "T" tied

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Chevron Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
| Women's PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 7 |
| The Evian Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Women's British Open | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 11 |
| Totals | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 39 | 35 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 22 (2007 Kraft Nabisco – 2013 LPGA)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (2009 British Open – 2010 U.S. Open)

## LPGA Tour career summary

| Year | Tournaments played | Cuts made* | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings (US$) | Money list rank | Scoring average | Scoring rank |
| 2006 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T4 | 63,719 | n/a | 70.33 | n/a |
| 2007 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | T3 | 346,259 | n/a | 71.76 | n/a |
| 2008 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1,682,976 | n/a | 70.73 | n/a |
| 2009 | 25 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 1,807,334$^1$ | 1 | 70.26 | 2 |
| 2010 | 18 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 1,783,127 | 2 | 70.25 | 5 |
| 2011 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 720,735 | 15 | 70.81 | 4 |
| 2012 | 18 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1,234,597 | 7 | 70.31 | 1 |
| 2013 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 602,875 | 22 | 70.66 | 9 |
| 2014 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T16 | n/a | n/a | 72.47 | n/a |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T6 | n/a | n/a | 68.00 | n/a |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T14 | n/a | n/a | 71.55 | n/a |
| 2017 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T11 | n/a | n/a | 70.56 | n/a |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T7 | n/a | n/a | 70.00 | n/a |
| 2019 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T21 | n/a | n/a | 72.22 | n/a |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T48 | n/a | n/a | 72.83 | n/a |
| 2021 | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T58 | n/a | n/a | 72.00 | n/a |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | T2 | n/a | n/a | 69.75 | n/a |
| 2024 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | T2 | n/a | n/a | 71.59 | n/a |
$^1$ Shin's $24,349 earnings at the 2009 Honda LPGA Thailand were considered unofficial under LPGA rules and are not included in this total. * Includes matchplay and other events without a cut.
* Official through 2024 season

## World ranking

Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.
| Year | Ranking |
| 2006 | 33 |
| 2007 | 7 |
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 7 |
| 2012 | 8 |
| 2013 | 16 |
| 2014 | 36 |
| 2015 | 33 |
| 2016 | 23 |
| 2017 | 25 |
| 2018 | 21 |
| 2019 | 24 |
| 2020 | 37 |
| 2021 | 53 |
| 2022 | 68 |
| 2023 | 15 |
| 2024 | 24 |

## Team appearances

Professional
* Lexus Cup (representing Asia team): 2007 (winners)
* World Cup (representing South Korea): 2007, 2008
* The Queens (representing Korea): 2016 (captain, winners)