Battling Anxiety, LPGA Icon Who Temporarily Replaced Nelly Korda Sheds Light On Her Struggles: ‘Doesn’t Help Me’

Among the many players that usually tee up, only one can win after playing 72 holes. As is apparent to a golfer, one needs extreme mental and physical capacity to counter the on-course struggles while battling the off-course trouble—mental health being one of them. Many pros have not shied away from talking about it, such as Charley Hull, who has candidly addressed her struggles and diagnosis of ADHD.

Joining the famed pro is another LPGA Tour pro, Jenny Shin. The one-time LPGA Tour winner had been vocal about her struggles being a golfer in the past, as she revealed while taking over the LPGA Tour’s Instagram and temporarily replacing Nelly Korda as the LPGA Tour’s cover girl. Now, the 31-year-old has once again chosen to speak up about her constant battle with anxiety and fear.

LPGA Tour pro shares her recent mental health struggles

Playing the game of golf when one is coping with anxiety is a hard spot to be in. Controlling the triggers through the ups and downs of 72 holes might sound daunting at times. Speaking about the same, Jenny Shin posted a tweet on X and shared how she copes with anxiety. Shin revealed that although there are many methods to keep anxiety under control, not everything suits her, as she stated.“Meditation doesn’t help me with anxiety. Some people are wired differently. It’s a great tool to relax and quiet the mind for 5-10min at a time but I don’t find it helpful when my mind is spinning 10-15hours a day.”

The 31-year-old further elaborated on the topic and chose to share her opinions on another way of treating anxiety, Shin relayed, “I don’t think pills are an answer either..” Then, what has been helping her to overcome anxiety? Over the course, Shin has observed her patterns and understood that following a certain schedule helps her to keep anxiety at bay and not worry as much as she can.

Moreover, it was difficult for Shin, as she hadn’t been the one to follow a strict routine. “For me, having a creative but solid regime to follow seems to be the most helpful tool to live a calmer life. It takes discipline to follow, and I’ve not been disciplined. Been falling into the trap of constant anxiety and fear,” said the 31-year-old.

But fear not; Shin was hopeful and instated that sooner or later, “I will find my calm, I will find my ways,” said she. The emotional post of the Korean pro comes days after she asked her followers, how they relieve stress and manage anger.

Jenny Shin’s 2024 performance makes her feel embarrassed

On-course struggles happen to be a part and parcel of a golfer’s life. However, many are able to overcome them much faster than their fellow competitors. Take Nelly Korda as an example, who had a rather underwhelming 2023 season with no wins to her name; however, coming to 2024, she has been shaken off the past season’s rust and has already won five times

. On the other hand, it looks like Jenny Shin, who debuted way before Korda and has played on the LPGA Tour for over a decade, has only carded one victory in her career. And lately, even shooing a rounder 60 has been a struggle for her. Before Shin played the Chevron Championship, the 31-year-old had come off a disappointing performance at the T-Match Mobile Play.

Although she passed the cutline at Shadow Creek in Nevada, Shin posted on her X handle explaining how she wasn’t satisfied with her second-round performance. Elaborating on it, she said, “How embarrassing. My 7 over does not deserve to make the cut. Definitely not a proud thing to say but I was playing so poorly I was in a headspace of not wanting to make the cut.” 

Shin had been trying to regain her form and claim a victory after seven years of going winless. In the 2024 season, hopefully, the Korean pro will be able to overcome her struggles, whether they are on or off the course.