A new variable has emerged in the race for the Korean women’s golf team at next year’s Paris Olympics.
After finishing her season on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf (JLPGA) Tour, Shin Ji-ae said, “Next year is the Paris Olympics. My world ranking has risen, and I want to play in the Olympics at least once,” she said, according to Japan Golf Digest.
Shin finished the season ranked No. 3 on the money list and No. 2 on the Mercedes ranking.
She won two tournaments, the Daikin Orchid Ladies Tournament and the Earth Mondamin Cup.
Most notably, she had a breakout year at the LPGA Tour majors.
She finished runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Open and tied for third at the AIG Women’s Open.
Shin, who celebrated her 35th birthday in April, has been playing so solidly that she’s been called “aging backwards.
She is currently ranked 16th in the world. Among South Korean players, she is behind Ko Jin-young, Kim Hyo-joo, and Yang Hee-young.
Countries with at least four players in the top 15 of the world rankings can send up to four players to the Olympics.
At the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympics, Korea’s women’s golf team competed with four players.
Shin Ji-ae will qualify for the Paris Olympics if she cracks the top 15 in the world rankings next June and finishes in the top four among South Koreans.
She will face stiff competition from her juniors.
Shin’s challenge for the Paris Olympics was predicted early on.
Shin has been playing a lot of LPGA Tour events this year.
She said that she wanted to try new challenges and not get complacent, but many experts believed that she was trying to increase her world ranking points in order to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
LPGA Tour majors are worth far more world ranking points than Japan Tour events.
In fact, Shin started the year outside the top 60 in the world rankings. After winning the Japan Tour’s opening event, the Daikin Orchid Ladies Tournament, her world ranking only rose to No. 54.
However, her runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Open and third-place finish at the AIG Women’s Open helped her climb to No. 17.
As she has declared her intention to compete in the Paris Olympics, Shin is expected to take advantage of the opportunity to compete on the LPGA Tour from next year through June.
Shin is expected to compete in the HSBC World Championship in February, where many top players will compete and world ranking points will be awarded, as well as the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open before June. 토토사이트