What’s behind Shin Ji-yai’s comeback?

Shin Ji-yai

Shin Ji-yai is back with a bang but it took 22 months, surgery, a new coach, two caddies and a Japanese psychologist.

After nearly two years without a trophy, Shin pulled off a remarkable comeback, winning back-to-back titles in a week including her second British Women’s Open on Monday (KST).

The 24-year-old topped the British Women’s Open with the biggest winning margin in history, becoming the second Korean golfer to claim a 10th career victory on the LPGA Tour following Hall of Famer Pak Se-ri. Seven days earlier, she triumphed at the Kingsmill Championship in a nine-hole playoff.

And the 24-year-old squashed rumors that she was “done for” due to injuries.

Shin, a dominant force on the Korean Tour at the time, burst onto the world golf scene in 2008 after grabbing three LPGA titles including the British Open through invitations to the tournaments and went on to become one of the hottest golfers on the U.S. women’s golf circuit.

Ahead of the 2011 season, however, Shin, who wanted to add distance to her game, changed her training regimen, coach and caddie but it did not work out. Instead she battled with a lower back injury which forced her season to end early.

In addition, she underwent left wrist surgery in May and was out for almost two months, missing two majors ― the U.S. Women’s Open and the LPGA Championship ― raising questions over her capability to add to the win column.

“After surgery, I lost a lot of power in my left arm and shoulder. So, I tried to get both sides to the same level and worked really hard with my balance program,” she said. “It is getting better.”

It seems to be working.

Shin’s driving accuracy is third-best at 82.8 percent, while she ranks fifth for greens in regulation, both of which are career highs on the U.S. tour. In addition, she had made seven top 10 finishes in 13 appearances.

Ahead of the Kingsmill tournament, Shin had new caddie, Florian Rodriguez, on the bag and the Frenchman is seen as another reason for her bounce back, keeping her calm on the course.

“I’m happy with my work with my new caddie because he makes me feel relaxed,” said Shin, who is learning French from him.

“Actually, he’s one year younger than me, but he tries to be relaxed on the golf course and I really appreciate that.”

“As Shin usually reads lies on the course for herself, a caddie who makes her feel comfortable during tournaments will be helpful,” said an official from the golfer’s agency.

While Shin, who basked in spotlight since her Tour debut in 2009, was struggling amid whispers that she was already past her prime and was less focused after her rapid success, she has endured a tough time mentally and physically over the last couple of years, according to the golfer.

But a Japanese psychologist helped Shin deal with the pressure and trust herself, she said.

“When I had a tough time, which means I heard many things about me, I suffered a lot of stress from what people were saying about me. (But) she says ‘just trust yourself, just don’t worry about the people who are talking about you.’ After that, I try to focus on myself and then I trust myself to smile,” Shin said. <The Korea Times/Kang Seung-woo>

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