They say a heartbreaking incident can change your life in both positive and negative ways. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, something similar happened to Jiyai Shin while she was still growing. Her mother died at an early age. Despite the challenges, Shin persevered and eventually made it to professional golf, and she is now living her dream.

Shin was born on April 28, 1988, in Yeonggwang-gun, South Korea. Although she is a professional golfer with multiple career wins to her name, she is private about her personal life. Shin has more than 1300 followers on her public Instagram, but surprisingly, all the posts are related to golf. Some reports indicate that her father was a former minister, while her mother led a typical life. Her father’s name was Jeseop Shin, but she hasn’t revealed her mother’s name.

The 36-year-old touched the golf club for the first time when she was just eleven years old. As revealed on the LPGA Tour website, it was her father and coach, Hyunjee Chun, who motivated her to play golf. However, her mother’s tragic death turned the golfer’s life upside down. It happened when Shin was only 16 years old, and she lost her mother in a tragic car accident. In the same unfortunate accident, her sister and brother were gravely injured and were in the hospital for almost a year.

Shin actually moved into the hospital with them to help take care of them. In 2005, when she left the hospital with them, it also marked the remarkable start of Shin’s golfing journey. Although Jiyai Shin had been playing golf from an early age, her first significant victory came in 2005. She won the KLPGA, becoming the only amateur to do so while still in high school.

While her mother was alive, Shin didn’t win any tournaments, but she also didn’t let that unfortunate accident stop her from excelling on the greens. Jiyai Shin used the insurance money to help finance her career, and her professional golf journey took an interesting turn.

How did Jiyai Shin’s career take a turn after 2005?

In 2006, she competed on the KLPGA, earning Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards. In 2007, the golfer achieved three top-six finishes, including a T3 at the Evian Masters, out of eight starts on the LPGA as a non-member. Jiyai Shin didn’t slow down, and in 2008 she won the RICOH Women’s British Open, the Mizuno Classic, and the season-ending ADT Championship, again as a non-member of the LPGA Tour. In the same year, Shin became the first player in the Korea LPGA to complete the season grand slam and earned a 10-year exemption from the KLPGA.

Her rookie year was 2009. Although it wasn’t loaded with victories and top finishes, it wasn’t a bad year by any means. She recorded a career-low 63 in the final round of the CN Canadian Women’s Open, finishing in a tie for 10th place. The golfer won the Masters GC Ladies on the Japan LPGA, the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship Presented by John Q. Hammons, and the Wegmans LPGA. Thanks to the resilience she showed, Jiyai Shin now has more than 45 career top-10 finishes and more than 10 career victories.