Shin Ji-ae becomes JLPGA's all-time money leader

Shin Ji-ae (37), a "living legend" of South Korean women's golf, has risen to the top of the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour's all-time money list. She achieved this historic milestone in her 300th JLPGA Tour event.

On March 9, at the Ryukyu Golf Club (par 72) in Okinawa, Japan, Shin shot a 3-under 69 in the final round of the JLPGA season-opening Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament, recording five birdies and two bogeys. With a final total of 6-under 282, she finished in a tie for second place, four strokes behind Japan’s Chisato Iwai (23).

Shin added 8.72 million yen (approximately 85 million KRW) in prize money, bringing her total career earnings to 1.38074 billion yen (about 13.5 billion KRW), surpassing Japan’s Yuri Fudoh (49), who previously held the record with 1.37262 billion yen. Fudoh participated in the tournament but missed the cut after recording a 9-over 153 over two rounds.

Despite entering her late 30s, Shin continues to demonstrate strong competitiveness. She also finished as runner-up in the Taiwan Ladies Professional Golf Association (TLPGA) season-opening Foxconn TLPGA Players Championship on March 2. After back-to-back runner-up finishes in Taiwan and Japan, Shin commented, “I gave my all over the past four days with no regrets. However, I’ve finished second twice already this year, so I’m eager to secure a win soon. I’m looking forward to the next tournament.”

Shin’s reign as the JLPGA Tour’s all-time money leader is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Last year, she competed in several U.S. LPGA Tour events to earn world ranking points for a shot at the Paris Olympics, but this year, she plans to focus solely on the Japanese circuit.

Additionally, there are no immediate challengers. Fudoh, who dropped to second place on the list, has struggled to make tournament cuts in recent years. Meanwhile, third-place Jeon Mi-jeong (1.31983 billion yen), fourth-place Lee Ji-hee (1.25661 billion yen), and fifth-place Ahn Sun-ju (1.1 billion yen) have largely stepped away from the competition.

“This record was made possible thanks to an increase in tournaments and prize money. I’m grateful to my sponsors and everyone in the golf industry,” Shin said. “I hope younger players will break my record soon, but at the same time, I will continue to do my best.”

Shin’s remaining goals include securing a permanent JLPGA Tour seed by reaching 30 career wins and claiming a single-season money title. Currently at 28 JLPGA wins, she needs just two more to achieve the milestone. Having previously won money titles on the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) and LPGA Tours, Shin is set to make another attempt at the JLPGA crown this year. Her best previous results in Japan’s season money rankings were second place in 2016 (147.09 million yen) and 2018 (165.32 million yen).

Meanwhile, Shin holds the record for the most professional victories by a South Korean golfer, male or female, with 65 wins worldwide (66, including her amateur title).


김정훈 hun@donga.com