JENNY SHIN IS OUR 2026 CHAMPION

Jenny Shin is the 2026 ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open winner.

A bogey on the final hole was not enough to stop the 33-year-old from reigning victorious.The South Korean star enjoyed a wire-to-wire win and has been rewarded for her dominance, resilience and adaptability by lifting her first trophy in over ten years.

Opening with a 66, followed by a 67 and 71, an emotional Shin was in disbelief and said: “I can’t believe — I can’t believe it happened this week.

“That’s just so much — my brain is moving too fast and I can’t — I think the people around me, how they just patiently waited for me and believed in me, because I never really belief in myself. That’s what got me emotional.”

After a difficult few years on the tour, Shin remarked on what has kept her going throughout the tough times: “The competition. I kept looking at the leaderboard and I hate being chased but at the same time, I think I love adrenaline. I’m definitely a junky.

“I just love competing. The mental width that I had with Pajaree, as well. She was making a bunch of birdies and I was making bogeys and I could feel her breath right next to me. It was fun. That was exhilarating. So yeah, we’re all lunatics out here, and I’m one of them.”

Praising the team at Dundonald Links, Shin added: “I haven’t had a chance to talk about that but I want to thank all the staff members outside the course and the pro shop, they have been pretty incredible. I’m quite familiar with some of the staff and they have been coming up to me and cheering me on.

“You know, it’s really nice. Feels like a bit of a family. I want to thank everyone, all the volunteers, as well. I never even got to say thank you to the people that were with us today because of all the champagne! I can’t thank them enough. The golf course was unbelievable despite how dry it was.”

And a note couldn’t have gone without applauding her caddy Shane Codd at whom Shin extolled for keeping her calm: “I’ve got a very chaotic mind, and he knows how to calm that down, which is really all you need from a caddie. I did ask him, like I’m panicking, like what should I do? And he’s like, just be with me. Just stay here with me and look at me.

Look at the ball and just commit to what you were doing all week. So I did that, and yeah, I think that’s how I hung in there. I wasn’t as nervous as yesterday. I was quite ready and ready to, yeah, take on whatever is ahead of me.” 

Shin’s compatriot A Lim Kim joins her at the top of the leaderboard after an impressive final round of 68(-3) saw her total score come to 281(-7). Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn finished in third.

Scotland’s Hannah Darling finished the tournament in T63 but ,as the only Scottish star to have made the cut, she won the Jock MacVicar Trophy and afterwards spoke of her pride at leading the way:

“It’s cool to be top Scot, especially this week, I felt a lot of pride being here and really just happy to make the cut and happy to be leading Scot. Conditions have been tough but positives to take out of it.”

The three qualifiers for AIG Women’s Open (the highest finishers who were not otherwise exempt) are

• Chanettee Wannasaen
• Daniela Darquea
• Nataliya Guseva