South Korea’s Jiyai Shin displayed the enduring power of class and ambition by winning her second ISPS HANDA Australian Open 11 years after her first success.
What had loomed as a three-way battle for the title at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath turned into a coronation with one of the shots of the year on any golf tour around the world.
Shin (69-68-67-70) made a remarkable start on her way to a two-stroke victory on 17-under-par. She opened with birdies on the first and third to cancel out a double bogey on the second.
The shot of the tournament arrived on the par four fourth hole when Shin found herself left off the tee in a sandy waste area. She was backed up against tree foliage that would have restricted many backswings. Shin’s stance and swing is quite upright and it worked for her here. She had 102m to the pin.
With a pitching wedge, she punched the shot on the bounce to the green and it took a long, right swing towards the cup and dropped in for an eagle. It was a brilliant moment. Suddenly, her lead was four shots and the tournament seemed in her keeping.
“It was like a good gift for me,” said Shin, 36, who said pre-round that the gusty winds and rain which came would be her friends.
“Even yesterday, my dad say that Australia is something special for me. So, my dad said to bring some sand home in a bottle.”
When she grabbed another eagle at the par five 10th hole, there was little that could stop the former world No.1 winning her 65th tournament worldwide. The lead was seven shots at one point.
When South’s Africa’s 2022-23 champion Ashleigh Buhai (73-68-67-68) had three birdies to open the back nine, the gap closed a little but second place it was always going to be.
Buhai had a fine 68 but fellow ISPS HANDA ambassador Hannah Green lamented losing her way with a closing 79 after being just a stroke behind at one point.
Shin’s joy was obvious at adding her name to the trophy for a second time after winning in 2013.
“I can see my name there. It (the trophy) is so gorgeous. I’m really happy, especially to win at this golf course” Shin said.
“It’s kind of a revenge to get the trophy because I lost it in a play-off when I played my first Australian Open here in 2008.”
