Shin Ji-ae Is Korea’s Next Rising Star

South Korea’s professional golfer Shin Ji-ae (Hi-mart), 19, gets a full body massage three or four hours after every tournament.

On Monday afternoon, she shed her fatigue in a fitness center in Seoul and practiced shots with her swing coach.

“Since I can concentrate only on golf, I think I can get good results,” she said.

Last week, Shin swept her sixth title this season with a 400 million won prize, a record for female and male Korean golfers. She is under the management of the “Tee Golf Studio,” a sports management agency. It provides services such as analyses of her swing, professional caddies, schedule management, and English lessons.

Her swing coach is Jeon Hyeon-ji, a professional golfer and a former coach for the national team who received a doctor’s degree at Konkuk University. Her fitness coach, who majored in physical education, assists her with the same weight training, yoga, meditation, and physical training programs that Tiger Woods (U.S.) and Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) use. When she appears on the air or attends an event, she gets help with makeup and clothing from the agency.

Shin Ji-ae has so far made a billion won from golf, including prizes and bonuses from her sponsor. She gets asset management advice from a private banking service team of a bank in the affluent Gangnam area that is home to many other major athletes.

Jeon Hyeon-sook, the CEO of the agency who majored in sports marketing, said, “Players and agents are preparing in advance to achieve our common goal of being ready to run for Shin 24/7.”

With her efforts and thanks to her systematic support, Shin will take part in the 29th Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) tour that starts in Jayou CC in Gyeonggi Province (par 72) on Wednesday. She will be at the center of the public’s attention since if she wins, she will be the first Korean golfer to claim three titles two times in one season.

In the world’s female golf rankings announced on Tuesday, Shin jumped two steps up to rank seventh, followed by Park Se-ri, the highest ranking Korean female at number 6.

kjs0123@donga.com