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Shin Ji-yai turns in LPGA membership to compete in Japan

February 27, 2014
Professional golfer Shin Ji-yai, right, poses with her father at the Yonsei University graduation ceremony, Monday. Shin graduated from Yonsei University after studying physical education from 2007, and in January this year, turned in her Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) membership to compete in the LPGA of Japan Tour. (Yonhap)

Professional golfer Shin Ji-yai, right, poses with her father at the Yonsei University graduation ceremony, Monday. Shin graduated from Yonsei University after studying physical education from 2007, and in January this year, turned in her Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) membership to compete in the LPGA of Japan Tour. (Yonhap)

By Kwon Ji-youn

Professional golfer Shin Ji-yai has turned in her Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) membership to compete in the LPGA of Japan Tour this season.

LPGA confirmed that Shin gave up her membership in January via e-mail and a phone call.

Speculations about Shin’s withdrawal from the LPGA began late last year, but at the time, Shin had said that she just needed to move toward a new goal.

“I also want to compete and succeed on the JLPGA tour,” she had said. “I was hoping to split my time six to four or seven to three between the U.S. and Japan.”

But now that she has turned in her LPGA membership, the growing opinion is that she will focus just on the JLPGA tour, which requires its golfers to participate in at least 60 percent of its tournaments.

This means Shin will need to participate in 22 of 37 tournaments, and Shin has already said she feels uncomfortable going back and forth between the U.S. and Japan. The LPGA also mandates that golfers do not take part in other tournaments while on the U.S. tour.

Shin made it clear that her reason for moving from the U.S. tour to Japan was because she wants play golf for as long as she can.

“It’s true that I was mentally and physically tired while competing in the U.S.,” she said. “I love golf and I want to play golf for as long as I can.”

Shin has broken all existing LPGA of Korea Tour records and in 2008, won three events, including the Women’s British Open and the ADT Championship.

This qualified her for an LPGA membership in 2009, and soon after, won the HSBC Women’s Champions, then the Wegmans LPGA tournament.

She won the LPGA Rookie of the Year award in 2009. She has been ranked number one in the women’s world golf rankings.

It seems Shin has also decided to take interest in realms outside golf, including beauty and fashion.

On Monday, Shin graduated from Yonsei University after studying physical education from 2007. She attended the graduation ceremony, looking drastically different, sporting what looked like surgical double eyelids, a procedure many women in Korea undergo to brighten up their eyes.

Shin, who had said in 2009 that she was afraid of undergoing plastic surgery, also seemed to have lost some weight.