Ex-world No. 1 Shin Ji-yai finishes 3rd at LPGA major

Shin Ji-yai of Korea acknowledges the crowd after playing a shot on the fourth hole during the final round of the AIG Women's Open at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England, Aug. 13. Courtesy of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

Former world No. 1 Shin Ji-yai has finished in third place at the AIG Women's Open, her second top-five showing at an LPGA major tournament this year.

Shin shot a two-under 70 in the final round at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England, on Sunday (local time), to finish at seven-under 281. Shin ended up seven strokes behind the champion, Lilia Vu of the United States.

Two other Koreans, Amy Yang and Kim Hyo-joo, tied for fourth place at six-under 282.

In July, Shin had tied for second place at the U.S. Women's Open, her first top-10 finish at a major since 2013.

Shin spent 25 weeks as the No. 1 player in the world from May 2010 to February 2011. But she gave up her LPGA membership before the start of the 2014 season to be closer to her family in Korea and began playing more regularly in Japan.

Shin, 35, won the 2008 and 2012 AIG Women's Open titles, her only two LPGA majors so far.

She didn't come close to adding to that tally, however, and neither did any Korean player. And for the second time in three seasons, Korea, a long dominant force in women's golf, failed to produce an LPGA major champion.

The country was shut out at majors in 2021 and had just one major winner in 2022, Chun In-gee at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.

Shin started the day in seventh place at five-under, four strokes behind Vu and her co-leader, Charley Hull of England.

Shin traded a birdie with a bogey on the front nine, while missing some birdie opportunities. She added birdies at the 14th and the 16th to end in third place as other contenders fell by the wayside.

That group included Kim, who started the day just one behind Vu and Hull but struggled to a 74, her worst round of the tournament.

Shin Ji-yai of Korea watches her shot on the first hole during the final round of the AIG Women's Open at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England, Aug. 13. AFP-Yonhap

Kim made five bogeys in the final round, matching the total she had in the first three rounds combined, and picked up three birdies.

Kim sat within two of Vu after birdies at the eighth and ninth holes, before Vu pulled away with birdies of her own at the ninth, 10th and 12th holes.

This was Kim's fifth top-10 finish at her last seven tournaments, though she hasn't been able to get over the hump on Sundays.

Yang, who had three birdies and three bogeys on the front nine, steadied the ship with two birdies on the back nine en route to a round of 70. (Yonhap)