Jenny Shin wins Women's Scottish Open to end 10-year LPGA drought

Jenny Shin wins Women's Scottish Open to end 10-year LPGA drought

South Korean golfer Jenny Shin ended a victory drought spanning more than a decade on Sunday, July 26, 2026, securing a two-shot win at the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open. The victory at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire marks only the second LPGA Tour title of Shin's career, arriving 10 years, 2 months, and 25 days after her first win at the Texas Shootout in May 2016.

The 33-year-old Shin finished the tournament with a total of 9 under, or 279. While she entered the final round with a commanding five-shot lead, Sunday proved to be a test of mental endurance rather than technical precision. Shin carded a 3-over 75, her most difficult round of the week, which included hitting only 11 greens in regulation and requiring 32 putts.

The tension peaked during the front nine when Shin suffered three consecutive bogeys on holes 6, 7, and 8. The slide continued at the ninth, where her approach shot ran off the green. Shin later admitted she was close to tears during that stretch. Her caddie, Shane Codd, intervened to steady her, telling her to look at him and commit to the process she had followed all week.

Shin managed to arrest the momentum of the collapse with a 7-foot par putt on the ninth, followed by birdies at the 10th and 12th holes. Although she bogeyed two of the final three holes, those timely birdies provided the cushion necessary to maintain her lead.

A Lim Kim of South Korea mounted the strongest challenge, shooting a 4-under 68. Kim used four straight birdies from the 9th through the 12th to finish at 7 under, placing her alone in second. Thailand's Pajaree Anannarukarn, who started the day five shots behind Shin, finished third at 5 under after a final-round 74.

Other notable finishes included:

• Esther Henseleit: Fourth place at 4 under.
• Miyu Yamashita: Tied for fifth at 3 under.
• Lauren Coughlin: Tied for fifth at 3 under.
• Nelly Korda: Tied for 16th at 2 over after a final-round 69.

The victory makes Shin the second wire-to-wire winner on the LPGA Tour this season and the 12th different winner across the first 19 events. Statistically, the win is a rarity; Shin is only the third player since 1980 to go at least 10 years between official LPGA victories. At 33 years, 9 months, and 19 days, she also becomes the third-oldest winner in the history of the Women's Scottish Open.

The emotional weight of the win was evident as Shin was doused with champagne and water by friends after her final putt on the 18th. Reflecting on her first victory in 2016, Shin said:

"My first one didn’t really feel like a win at the time. I didn’t feel like I deserved it. It felt very accidental. But this one definitely feels a lot different. This one feels like I earned it. I worked hard for it."

Jenny Shin, golfer, via AP

Shin attributed her return to form to a period of introspection and the assembly of a strong support team. She described the difficulty of maintaining a love for the profession during a mid-career stretch where she struggled with motivation. She noted that the interruption of the COVID-19 pandemic helped her realize how much she wanted to return to professional competition.

When asked what she would tell her younger self during those difficult years, Shin said, Keep struggling, keep going, adding, It’s not the end of the world.

The triumph provides a brief moment of celebration before a demanding transition. Shin faces a four-hour drive to Manchester to rejoin her coaches ahead of the final major of the season. The Women's British Open begins Thursday at Royal Lytham & St Annes.