SHIN REMAINS OPTIMISTIC DESPITE EARLY PUTTER CRISIS
To say Jenny Shin had an eventful Saturday morning might be a gross understatement. The 25-year-old from the Republic of Korea arrived at the course and quickly realized she was missing a crucial piece of equipment – her putter.
“Thank God it wasn’t the old hotel, because if it was, I wouldn’t have played the first two holes without my putter,” said Shin, referencing a recent hotel change that left her putter only 30 minutes away from the course rather than an hour.
Thanks to a good friend making a mad dash back to retrieve the club, Shin was able to make it to the first tee with her bag fully stocked. And while Shin struggled on Saturday and didn’t convert a single birdie, she remains optimistic that for every bad day, there’s bound to be a good one waiting.
“Maybe I play well in the rain, and I hope it just comes down tomorrow, and maybe I’ll play 7-under par, you never know,” said Shin. “Everybody has a bad day. Everybody has a good day. That was my bad day. So hopefully tomorrow I can come back with a solid round and hopefully try to catch the leader.”
KO AIMING FOR THIRD SWINGING SKIRTS VICTORY AND SECOND IN CHINESE TAIPEI
Lydia Ko apparently loves both Swinging Skirts and Chinese Taipei. The New Zealand phenom captured her first professional victory at the 2014 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, conducted at San Francisco’s Lake Merced Golf Club and sponsored by the Swinging Skirts Golf Club, a Chinese Taipei-based nonprofit organization that supports women’s golf. She followed that win with a second Swinging Skirts title the following year.
After three years of sponsoring the San Francisco tournament, the Swinging Skirts organization moved its title sponsorship to its home country’s event, held at Miramar Golf Country Club. Ko is already a champion here, having taken the 2015 title, and now hopes to add yet another Swinging Skirts win to her victory tally.
“I think it’s great for the sponsors, and obviously Swinging Skirts, bringing this tournament back to Taiwan,” said Ko, who would earn her 15th LPGA victory with a win on Sunday. “I think they deserve to have a nice, 72-hole finish with a crowned champion tomorrow. “
QUICK HITS
Eun-Hee Ji is one of eight players to have played all seven Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championships; her best finish was T2 in 2015, where she held the lead after each of the first two rounds
Ji has gone more than 200 starts since her last LPGA victory, which came at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open Championship
Ji holds a six-stroke lead going into the final round; the largest victory margin of 2017 is six strokes, by Mirim Lee at the Kia Classic
The largest margin of victory in LPGA history is 14 strokes, by Cindy Mackey at the 1986 MasterCard International Pro-Am
The largest come-from-behind victory of 2017 is six strokes, by Mi Hyang Lee at the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open
The largest come-from-behind victory in LPGA history is 10 strokes, done three times (Mickey Wright, 1964 Tall City Open; Annika Sorenstam, 2001 The Office Depot Hosted by Amy Alcott; Louise Friberg, 2008 MasterCard Classic Honoring Alejo Peralta Presented by Nextel)
Jenny Shin is one of eight players to have played all seven Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championships; her best finish was T14 in 2015
Lydia Ko is playing in her fifth Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship; she won in 2015, finished third in 2014 and finished T20 in 2016
QUOTABLE
“We saw the sun at some stage today.”
- Lydia Ko, on a welcome break in the week’s rainy weather
“ I think my dad and I need some space, but right now it’s pretty good. We talk every day.”
- Megan Khang, on not having her dad Lee on the bag this week
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