Republic of Korea native Jenny Shin got off to a strong start in the first round of the Honda LPGA Thailand, carding a 5-under 67 on day one at Siam Country Club’s Old Course to sit in a tie for third early in Chonburi, Thailand.
The 31-year-old raced out of the gate, making birdies on holes 1, 3 and 4 to move to 3-under early and then picking up another birdie on the par-5 7th hole to turn in 32. She birdied again on the par-5 10th hole, now sitting at 5-under overall with eight holes to play, but Shin dropped a shot on the par-4 13th hole to slide back to 4-under.
She recovered quickly with a birdie on 14, parring the last four holes to post a 67, her third-lowest first-round score in the Honda LPGA Thailand and her sixth round of 67 or better in the event since 2012. While the back nine was a bit “disappointing” for the LPGA Tour veteran, Shin was pleased with her effort on Thursday in Thailand and will look to make a few tweaks in her game so she can go even lower on Friday at the Old Course.
“I putted well. Drained a lot of putts in the first seven holes. That's always helpful when you can putt well,” said Shin, who hit 30 total putts in round one. “Bit of a disappointing back nine, but feel pretty good about my game. I'll take 5-under.”
This week in Thailand marks Shin’s first start of her 14th season on the LPGA Tour. Last year saw the LPGA Tour winner record five top-15 finishes, the most notable of which was a tie for eighth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club’s Lower Course, and make $805,283 in season earnings. She ultimately ended the year at 34th in the Race to the CME Globe, her best year-end ranking in the season-long points race since she finished 27th in 2017.
Funny enough, Shin didn’t realize just how well she had done during the 2023 season until recently and will now be looking to copy and paste her performance last season as she readies herself for 2024 on the LPGA Tour.
“I didn't know I finished 30th or whatever I finished until my caddie told me a couple of days ago, to be honest,” said Shin, whose best finish in the Race to the CME Globe is 20th, which came in 2015. “I think the year prior to that, I didn't get into (the CME Group Tour Championship), and that was very shocking for me. That really motivated me to stay in the game a little bit throughout the year, stay a bit more sharp. I hope I can continue doing that this year.”
Shin is making her 11th appearance in the Honda LPGA Thailand this week, and in her 10 previous starts, she has recorded three top-15 results, tying for ninth in 2019, finishing solo 13th in 2014 and finishing solo fourth in 2019. It’s her second competitive start of the year as Shin teed it up a couple of weeks ago in the Webex Players Series Sydney, a slate of mixed-gender events co-sanctioned by the WPGA Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia that see men and women compete in the same field for the same prize money.
She ultimately finished second to Kazuma Kobori after recording a four-day total of 23-under that saw her fire rounds of 63-67-68-67, and Shin wound up being the only woman in the field to find the top 10 at Castle Hill, a performance that has surely boosted her confidence ahead of this week in Thailand.
“I was leading the golf tournament until obviously Sunday,” said Shin of her performance in Sydney. “Shot 5-under and wasn't good enough. I learned a lot from that tournament, and it was a very different environment where I played against men, so it was a good eye-opener. Being aware of what I do under pressure in a very important situation (was one of my takeaways). I've only had a handful of those last year, so to feel that again, at my first event, it was pretty good.”
With 54 holes to go at the Honda LPGA Thailand on a golf course that can produce some incredibly low scores, Shin knows that she will have to keep the pedal down over the next three days if she wants to improve upon her tournament-best result of solo fourth. And she’s more than looking forward to that challenge, especially considering she’s competing in a country and event that’s near and dear to her heart.
“Considering I didn't have my A-game, I am very happy, and hopefully I can play better tomorrow,” Shin said. “I'm really happy to be back here after all these years. It feels like home. That's what I said when I first stepped foot on the golf course on Monday.
“I was like, ‘Wow, it's like I never left and feels great.’”
Impressive birdies from @JennyShin_LPGA on Thursday at the @hondalpgath! 🐦🐦🐦 pic.twitter.com/OKtzZPN1EX
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 22, 2024
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