The breakthrough yearIn September 2005, the year she turned 17, she won the SK Enclean Invitational as a second-year high school student on the amateur national team. It was the first time an amateur had won the event. In November she joined the KLPGA as a full member and turned pro.
Two months after turning pro she won for the first time, in Taiwan, and in May she won the Korea Women’s Open. That season her prize money passed 300 million won, a first for men and women in Korean pro golf, and at the year-end ceremony she took five awards.
In 2007 she won six times in a season, a first in KLPGA history, and finished with nine wins and the most-wins, money list, lowest scoring average and Player of the Year awards. In December she won the China Ladies Open for her 10th win of the year.
In March 2008 she won on the Japan tour, and in August she won the Women’s British Open at 20 years, 3 months and 6 days, the youngest winner in the event’s history. In September she won both domestic majors in one season, and in November she won the LPGA ADT Championship for her third win before her official LPGA debut. In December she took five awards at the KLPGA year-end ceremony.
In 2009, her first season on the LPGA Tour, she took Rookie of the Year, the money list title and the most-wins title. In May 2010, a win on the Japan tour made her the first Asian player ranked No. 1 in the world, and in July she won the Evian Masters.
In 2012 she won the Kingsmill Championship in September and then the Women’s British Open for the second time, finishing nine strokes ahead of Inbee Park. In 2013 she won the Women’s Australian Open, the opening event of the LPGA season. In 2014 she gave up her LPGA Tour card to focus on the JLPGA Tour.
In 2015 she won the JLPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup for her third win of the season and was inducted into the KLPGA Hall of Fame. In 2017 she had the lowest scoring average on the JLPGA Tour. In 2018 she won three JLPGA majors and took three awards, including Player of the Year. In April 2019 she won the Fujisankei Ladies Classic after coming from seven strokes back. In 2021 she reached 60 pro wins.
In 2022 she finished one stroke behind the winner at the Women’s Australian Open. In June 2023 she won the JLPGA Earth Mondahmin Cup. In 2024 she tied for second at the AIG Women’s Open and won the Women’s Australian Open in December. In May 2025 she won the Salonpas Cup in a playoff, which Herald Business reports as her 66th pro win. In June 2026 she played the Korea Women’s Open for the first time in 18 years.
Jiyai Shin (born Apr 28, 1988) became known when she won the SK Enclean Invitational as an amateur on Sep 11, 2005, the year she turned 17, and turned pro later that year. She won the Women’s British Open the year she turned 20 and became world No. 1 the year she turned 22.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.