Shin Ji-eun wins in Texas for first LPGA Tour title

Shin Ji-eun wins in Texas for first LPGA Tour title. May. 03, 2016 07:31. by 김종석기자 kjs0123@donga.com.

Victory came at last after 134 tries. After the game, Korean female golfer Shin Ji-eun called her mother through but hung up before she answered because she thought she would burst into tears. Long awaited win finally came to her.

Shin won the LPGA Tour in her 135th attempt. At the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving on Sunday local time, she closed with a 4-under 67 to finish at 14-under 270.

After starting the fourth round at joint fourth, Shin made four birdies to run away from the joint second group of Yang Hee-young, Heo Mi-jeong and Gerina Piller.

Since debuting the LPGA Tour in 2011 following the LPGA secondary tour, Shin was listed in top 10 for 20 times. This was the third best record as an incumbent player with no wins. At the HSBC Women's Championships in 2012, Shin was leading when she had one hole left, only to suffer the cancellation of the game due to thunder and lightening. Later the game resumed, where she did a double bogey and lost at the extended game. She also took the lead at the Australia Women's Open and KIA Classics in this year's season but failed in her last spurt.

It was different this time. After getting birdies in holes 2, 3 and 5, Shin added a 1.5-meter birdie at the 10th hole, and did pars in the remaining eight holes to keep her win. Kim Se-young, Choi Na-yeon and Ji Eun-hee congratulated her by splashing beer.

"I practiced putting in 1-2 meter distance since I had missed greens in round 1 and 2. I think I could grow through a series of failures," Shin said. "I will be a player who grows more."

Born as the only child in Seoul, Shin went to California in 2001 to study golf. She played there with the name Jenny Shin, and won various junior competitions. However, she had to go through distress thereafter as she failed to win games. With many people comparing her with world No. 1 ranking Shin Ji-ae, she had posted a message on the LPGA Tour blog saying she wanted to become Shin Ji-ae for a day."