'Winning is so Cliche': LPGA Player Jenny Shin Gets Real About Professional Golf

Last year, the LPGA Tour launched its podcast 'Inside the LPGA' as a resource for those looking for a deeper dive into LPGA action. In each episode the trio of hosts Hope Barnett (LPGA social host), Adam Stanley (golf journalist) and retired Tour player Emma Talley sit and recap tournaments, break down athlete performance, and invite players (both past and present) on to engage in conversations aimed at giving listeners more insight.

The list of guests has ranged from the biggest stars in women's golf like Rose Zhang and Nelly Korda to legends like Annika Sörenstam and Stacy Lewis, all sharing bits and pieces of their experiences that channel that inside the ropes vibe that fans can appreciate. Perhaps one of the best aspects of the podcast, and as by product of sorts, is it being a discovery tool—showcasing different players and personalities that you may not be familiar with. Last week's episode featured long-time player Jenny Shin (we're big fans of her tweets) and boy, it felt a bit like a homily for me.

The entire episode is a must-listen, but one segment also posted on the LPGA social platforms really stood out where Shin reflects on her performance over the last few years (which has statistically been the best golf of her career), but explains how she feels like it's too easy to get caught up in the results.

She opened the conversation by saying that winning is cliche. And I don't like she means it in the way that the act of winning gets old (I don't think any athlete ever would say that), but in being asked about her golf goals, just desiring to win/a win feels a bit too obvious. After 15 years on tour, with one career win, Shin knows just how hard it is to see the winner's circle and that can't be her only end goal every single season.

When asked about what some of her goals for this year are, Shin replied that she wants to "focus on the process, and not be so obsessed with the results," and that she's working to rework and refocus her self-talking skills, being kinder and more gracious in the moments when she doesn't feel like she's not good enough.

This was something that junior golf Addie needed to hear. And hearing it now, as an adult truly healed something in me. No matter how old you are, or how good you become at something—a piece of you will always be wrapped up in the result, ultimately taking enjoyment out of the process.

I don't want to stand too tall on my soapbox about my teenage angst, but playing competitive golf has a tendency to really rewire your psyche and at times my performance or how well (or how poorly) I was playing was attached to my self-worth and how I viewed myself.

Thoughts of doubt and frustration crept in more often than not and ultimately, I had to walk away. But when you're a professional, that option to quit isn't always there, and Shin opened up about that. She tells Barnett and Talley that even though she's not in the winner's circle, she's still playing good golf, and she's constantly working on her mindset to help her overcome the mental hurdles and how they ebb and flow in pro golf.

It's such a candid way of broaching the topic of mental health and the competitive mentality of an athlete that felt refreshing, and a bit nuanced. I don't think Shin really intended to divulge so much into her thought processes during the podcast—but it made for the most perfect moment nonetheless. The complexities in what she was saying and how she was organizing her thoughts in real time offered up a truly endearing moment from a player that we don't see very often—it's a rarity for elite athletes to be so vulnerable.

In the episode, Shin essentially revealed to us the evolution of her competitive mentality throughout her career. In the first eight seasons she had out on tour she said that she wasn't so consumed by the act of winning. "In my first eight years on tour I never focused on winning, I never really cared about winning," Shin said. "I just loved competing."

But since COVID, her mind set has shifted, she realized that she needs that winner's mentality and get comfortable with being in contention, but ultimately it all goes back to the process. A win just doesn't happen on a Sunday. It's all the preparation days, weeks, and months before. If you don't love waking up and grinding then what's it all for?

That changed my brain chemistry.

The process is what you should be obsessive over. Doing all the right things in your preparation so that when the moment, whatever and whenever it is, you're ready. Not just in golf, but in life—the athlete mentality can carry you so far in everything you do and Shin just reminded us all of that.

The episode is an incredible watch or listen, and get to know the lovely Jenny Shin.