For the first time in 10 years, Jenny Shin is a winner on the LPGA Tour at the ISPS Handa Scottish Open, defeating A Lim Kim by two strokes.
The 33-year-old from Korea, who first gained LPGA Tour status back in 2011, has 138 top-25 finishes and 47 career top 10s, but just one win to her resumé. She came in with little form as well, missing four of her last fie cuts with the best finish since the first week in May being the a T32 finish at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
She was great for most of the week though, looking nearly flawless at Dundonald Links through three rounds, a course that routinely made the best in the world look like fools this year. Kim had a five-stroke lead heading into Saturday with just three birdies all week.
It started off strong too, as closest competitor Pajaree Anannarukarn was +3 thru two holes on Sunday, giving Shin an eight-stroke lead with just 16 left to play.
Not everything was smooth sailing for Shin though, she made three bogeys on holes six, seven and eight and saw her lead get cut to two at one point. A brilliant up-and-down for par on the ninth hole stopped the bleeding and some great birdies on 10 and 12 put her back in firm control.
Major champion A Lim Kim did make a nice run, but didn’t convert for birdie quite enough to put a lot of pressure on her countrywoman. Shin entered 18 with a three-shot advantage. While she hit a ball into a thick bush that looked like it could lead to disaster, she managed an easy bogey to walk away with a two-stroke win.
The LPGA Tour next heads to England for the AIG Women’s Open, the final major championship of the year.
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