Shin looking forward to 2009
By Andrew Both
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
SHIMA SHI, Japan (Ticker) - Mizuno Classic champion Ji-Yai Shin says her 2009 goal is to be Rookie of the Year on the LPGA Tour.
That shouldn’t be much of a problem if the ultra-talented 20-year-old Korean plays anywhere near the level she has displayed during her nine victories around the world this year.
Shin, who scored her latest success with a runaway six-stroke victory here on Sunday, is under subtle pressure from her major sponsors to play primarily in the United States.
And even though she is already the Women’s British Open champion, she wants to prove herself at the highest level week in and out. Therefore, she will compete mostly on the LPGA Tour next year.
“LPGA is everybody’s dream tour,” she said in her rapidly improving English. “All the world’s best players play there, so we want to join.
“I play about 10 years golf but almost every time I’m dreaming LPGA tournaments.”
Don’t be surprised, however, if Shin continues to compete regularly in Japan. She finds the Japan LPGA Tour very appealing for several reasons.
It is barely a two-hour flight home, the Japanese fans like her but at the same time give her space she cannot find in Korea and she also loves the food.
“Here is so nice,” said Shin, who has posted two wins and three runner-up finishes in five starts in Japan this year.
“I like really good friendly players, gallery very good manners, so I want to play some tournaments in Japan.”
Shin has quickly become a fan favorite with the Japanese, who are usually polite but indifferent to foreign players.
Watching her patiently sign dozens of autographs at the local station while her caddie bought her a ticket on the next train to Nagoya on Sunday afternoon, there was little doubt about her popularity.
The average Japanese tournament purse is less than the average LPGA event, but the competition is so much weaker that Shin conceivably could earn more here than in the United States, at least on the course.
The Japan LPGA Tour, though totally ignored by the rest of the world, is thriving, even though the top two Japanese stars, Ai Miyazato and Momoko Ueda, play mainly on the LPGA circuit.
There are 37 tournaments on this year’s schedule, with the purses varying between $600,000 and $1.6 million.
