[2020's Great Challenge⑦] Shin Ji-ae "First Ever Korea-US-Japan Prize Money King GO"

Korea and the US Already Crowned 'Prize Queens', Japan in 'Top 5' for 6 Consecutive Seasons, Thailand Completes Training Camp "Aiming for 1st Place up to Japan"

Shin Ji-ae will make new history as the first-ever prize money queen across Korea, the United States, and Japan if she ranks first in prize money on the JLPGA Tour.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "I have already achieved two."

This is about Shin Ji-ae (32), the 'former world No. 1.' She is challenging the rare title of being the first in the world to become the 'money queen' on the three tours of Korea, the United States, and Japan. She has already secured first place in earnings on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour in the U.S., with only the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour left. "I missed the chance to be No. 1 in earnings in Japan last year," she said, "but I learned a lot," reaffirming her determination.

Shin Ji-ae is a 'win machine' with 66 victories worldwide. Her precise iron shots, almost supernatural putting, and strong mental toughness are formidable. She debuted on the KLPGA Tour in 2006 and swept the Rookie of the Year, money title, Player of the Year, and lowest scoring average awards with three wins, and in 2007, she set an unprecedented record by winning nine out of 18 tournaments. In 2008, she won seven times, becoming the money queen for the third consecutive year.

She has collected 21 trophies domestically (including one as an amateur). In 2010, she was inducted into the KLPGA Hall of Fame as the youngest player. In 2008, as a non-member, she won three LPGA Tour events, including the major British Women's Open, and the following year, she added three more wins, sweeping the Rookie of the Year and money titles. In 2010, she became the first Korean player to reach world No. 1. She has 11 LPGA Tour wins in total, including her second British Women's Open victory in 2012.

Shin Ji-ae moved to the JLPGA Tour in 2014 and has won 24 times. The highlight was in 2018 when she captured three of the four major titles. However, in the money title race, she was always just '2%' short. She finished 4th in 2014, 3rd in 2015, 2nd in 2016, 5th in 2017, 2nd in 2018, and 3rd in 2019. Last year was the most disappointing. She started well by becoming the first Korean winner at the Studio Alice Ladies Open in April.

In the same month, she added victories at the Fujisankei Ladies and the Earth Mondahmin Cup in June. It is remarkable that Shin Ji-ae entered the top 10 eighteen times, including three wins, in 27 events. She challenged a late comeback at the final Ricoh Cup but ultimately finished tied for 7th. She lost first place by 17.91 million yen to Ai Suzuki (Japan, 160.19 million yen), and the grand record of being the 'money queen on the three tours of Korea, the U.S., and Japan' slipped away. She expressed regret, saying, "Honestly, I felt like I was counting my chickens before they hatched."

Although Shin Ji-ae failed to secure first place in earnings due to a slump in the second half of the year, she maintained her pride by posting an average score in the 60s (69.94). Since the JLPGA Tour introduced the scoring average record in 1988, this is the first time in 32 years that a player has recorded an average in the 60s. She created a new history on the JLPGA Tour. "I think my course management skills and strategy have improved more than my technique," she said, expressing satisfaction, "I want to praise myself for setting this record amid increasingly difficult course setups."

Last winter, she went to Thailand for training and focused on physical conditioning to improve swing consistency. She warmed up at the ISPS Big Open and ISPS Handa Australian Women's Open held in Australia last February, but is currently waiting for the JLPGA Tour to resume due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shin Ji-ae revealed her hunter instinct, saying, "I practiced really hard to wash away last year's regrets," and "I will challenge the Japanese money queen title again."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.