CONCORD, N.H., July 26 -- Rookie Jenny Shin drained a birdie putt on the last green Sunday to capture her first professional win at the $110,000 The International at Concord (N.H.) Future’s Tour event
Shin, 17, from Torrance, Calif., fired a 3-under 69 in the final round of the 54-hole tourney to finish at 11-under (205), one shot better than runner-up Tiffany Joh.
Double kicks Shin into gear. With top-five finishes in her previous three contests, Shin believed she was due for a win. She wasn’t so sure she would get it, however, after a double-bogey at the par-5 fourth hole.
“When I made double, I was maybe mad at myself and trying to calm myself down,” Shin told Boston Golf Examiner. “I tried to have in mind that maybe it’s not my turn to win this week. I just wanted to keep in contention, try to make pars and stay calm, and somehow I made birdies on the next two holes.”
Joh, who won her first professional event at last week’s ING New England Classic in Bloomfield, Conn., began the day tied for 17th.
Will it hold up? "I was just trying to get to 10-under," said Joh. "That’s all you can do. You then pat yourself on the back and buy yourself some Dairy Queen on the way home. I wasn't sure if it would hold up."
Joh, who finished her 7-under 65 round some 90 minutes before the leaders, had to wait to know if her clubhouse lead would stand.
Shin, who began scouring the scoreboards after her front-nine birdie run, assured it would not.
"I chase the leaderboards," Shin told reporters. "I saw where Tiffany was 7-under for the day, which is unbelievable. But then I sank some miracle putts on 14 and 16 and that really helped me get going."
Never a doubt. Shin’s birdie fest wasn’t over. She holed a 25-footer on 14 and played off the gallery’s enthusiasm.
“There were a lot of [people] there,” she said. “They let out a big roar that really boosted my confidence.”
On 16, Shin faced an almost identical sidehill, downhill, five-foot breaking putt to one she canned in Saturday’s second round.
"I had so much confidence in that putt, I knew it was going in," said Shin, who also posted a bogey and six birdies in her final round.
Tester. As for the course, Shin appreciated the difficulty of the Beaver Meadow Golf Course layout. “It wasn’t easy,” she said, noting that golfers could find themselves in big trouble if they hit into the many trees lining the fairways.
The quick greens, despite downpours before and during play, also tested the players.
“I was surprised at how firm and fast they were,” Shin said, adding that pin placements Sunday were “pretty tricky.”
Moneymakers. With her win and a check for $15,400, Shin jumped to seventh place on the all-important Futures Tour money list. Joh, who started the week in 10th, moved up to fifth.
The top 10 moneymakers at the end of the season earn their LPGA cards. The top five are eligible for all LPGA tourneys, except majors, while numbers six through 10 must qualify for each contest.
Not in the groove. Tour officials disqualified Sarah Brown for using nonconforming Ping wedges during Sunday’s final round. Brown, reportedly six strokes off the pace after posting a 2-over 38 on the front nine, learned about her DQ as she made the turn, according to Pennsylvania’s Express Times.
Keith Brown, Sarah’s father and caddy, told the publication that his daughter’s wedges conformed to the new groove standards.
Ping, which has yet to produce wedges with conforming grooves for consumers, makes such sticks for some tour players. A Ping representative could not, however, confirm whether Brown’s grooves did or did not meet the standard.
Futures Tour spokespersons did not return repeated requests for comment.
New England golfers. Several New England golfers played close to home last week. Juli Erekson (Chicopee, Mass.) finished in a tie for ninth and earned $1,765.
Despite the home cooking, other Boston golfers fared less well. Chelsea Curtis (New Seabury, Mass.) shared 31st place, Briana Vega (Andover, Mass.) was in a tie for 44th, and Alison Walshe cashed a $690 check after finishing in a tie for 61st place.
It’s not easy to make a living on the Futures Tour. Read how tour pros grind it out in golf’s minor leagues.
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