Shin Jie won the Japan Women's Open on Sunday, defeating Saiki Shiho in a playoff to capture her 30th career title on the Japanese women's tour, according to Yahoo!ニュース. The victory also secured Shin a permanent tour seed and completed a career Grand Slam of Japan's four major championships, the outlet reported.
Shin was moved to tears after the win. Yahoo!ニュース quoted her saying she had never cried after a victory before, but that this one made her happy.
The playoff followed what Yahoo!ニュース described as a hard-fought battle with Saiki, the reigning British Open champion. GDOゴルフニュース reported that Shin's win marked the first time a player has claimed all four of Japan's domestic majors. Japanese golf outlets had reported earlier in the day that the tournament was heading to a playoff between the two players.
The Japan Women's Open is one of the four major championships on the JLPGA schedule. Shin's 30th domestic title puts her among the tour's most decorated active players, and the permanent seed means she will retain tour membership without needing to requalify.
Shin's emotional reaction stood out in a career that has produced consistent results at the highest level of Japanese women's golf.
With the major now settled, attention turns to how Shin and Saiki carry this result into the remainder of the JLPGA season.
