At 33, Jenny Shin is running out of time—and she knows it. While her competitive spirit stays intact, her body appears to be reaching its limits—a reality that was obvious at the 2026 ShopRite LPGA Classic. A couple of days after withdrawing from the event, she finally detailed her condition.

“It does bother me quite a bit to the point where I’m struggling to be in the present moment because I’m worried about the future a little bit too much,” Shin told her fans on Instagram on May 31. “I feel like there aren’t too many years left on Tour for me. I am physically & mentally exhausted in many ways. I’m looking forward to some time off.

“I am much more generous to me now. This isn’t life or death for me anymore. I used to think it was. Because it’s still my livelihood and I care a lot. I want to excel more than ever. I’m still very passionate. I still work really hard, but a bit smarter. But there are a lot of hurdles at my age. So I’m being a little more forgiving to myself. I think it’s age. I’m not that old, but I feel a lot older.”

In 15 years, Shin has 47 top-10s and $7.9M but only one win—a conversion rate that haunts her even though winning millions has never been her goal. She has beaten big names like Minjee Lee, Moriya Jutanugarn, and Brooke Henderson to claim the 2016 Volunteers of America Texas Shootout. But at 33, she wouldn’t want to risk her health over her achievements in golf. Yet, peers and veterans have set great examples for her.

Peers like Michelle Wie West shortened their careers by over-training like Tiger Woods. Meanwhile, Lydia Ko thrived by pacing herself. She has remained in control of her health and has had the freedom to decide to retire early and continue her pursuit on the LPGA Tour. There are inspirations on the PGA Tour.

Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose have competed at the highest level despite being at the back end of their careers. Rose scaled back his schedule, while Phil Mickelson switched to LIV for lesser pressure. Given her wish to rest and make smarter choices, playing ShopRite wasn’t worth risking Shin’s health.

She is not qualified to play in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at the Riviera Country Club next week as well. So she will get enough of a break to recover and return for the Dow Championship June 11-14, and the Meijer LPGA Classic from June 18-21, 2026.

By pacing herself, Shin controls her exit, not her body, and it is already visible in her past results.

Is Jenny Shin’s plan to pace her career working?

Since 2024, Shin has played fewer events and withdrawn from five—a deliberate scaling back.

In 2024, she exited the Blue Bay LPGA, the FM Championship, and the Maybank Championship. Then, she withdrew before completing a round in the Blue Bay and FM Championships. After skipping the Blue Bay LPGA, she returned to the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship for a T10 finish. Between the FM and Maybank Championships, she posted a T12 and a T14 finish. Withdrawing from events in 2024 seemed to work in Shin’s favor, as she got good results. However, the same formula didn’t work a year later.

After skipping the 2025 HSBC Women’s World Championship, she finished T68 in the Ford Championship. Withdrawing from the CPKC Women’s Open also didn’t yield any good results around the tournament.

This year, she has already come off a promising T7 finish in the 2026 Mizuho Americas Open. With the next few days available for her to rest, she should be ready for the upcoming team event, the Dow Championship, and her next singles bout, the Meijer LPGA Classic, in the middle of June 2026. Hopefully, the extended break will help her get back on track to compete for the second LPGA Tour win of her career.