Athletes usually talk about family in tidy terms, with sacrifices and thank-yous after a big win. But LPGA Tour pro Jenny Shin has also shown the messier side of that relationship. Just three months after ending a 10-year winless drought, the 34-year-old has opened up about one relationship her golf career nearly cost her: the one with her best friend, her mother.
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Shin has been one of the more active voices on X, regularly posting about her life beyond golf. This time, she shared the story of her relationship with her mother on October 31.
“My mother used to be my best friend,” her X post read. “Golf really made it difficult to make us stay that way. We had many troubles as I was growing up because I was becoming my own person. We grew apart as I moved to Nevada nine years ago, and the distance felt permanent.”
She continued to explain their relationship in a series of posts, a style that has become characteristic of her personal conversations on X.
She explained that her mother was usually the one who avoided confrontation, a habit that ran through the entire family. She also pointed out that when people avoid difficult conversations, they tend to make assumptions when the other person goes quiet, and those assumptions are often wrong.
She then shared how she decided to address that gap in their relationship.
“I terrorize Mom by calling her out and confront when she shuts down from situation that is beneficial to talk about. We fought a lot and had many issues in between, but now we speak about emotional and comfortable topics and get closer each time,” another couple X posts revealed. “Words can be hurtful, but they can heal beautifully. I can’t thank my mother enough for opening her mind and making an effort to understand the person I am. I have no doubt my mother will be my best friend again, and I can’t wait to grow old with her.”
It’s a relationship many people may have struggled to hold on to at some point in their lives. For Shin, calling her mother her best friend is not just a throwaway phrase. Their bond has been part of her golf journey from the very beginning.
Shin was nine when her family moved from Seoul to Torrance, California, the same age she took up golf. Her mother was part of that journey from the start. Before the 2006 U.S. Girls’ Junior, one of the biggest turning points in her career, her mother had reportedly booked their hotel only until the quarterfinals, not expecting Shin to make a deep run. But the 13-year-old went on to win the title.
When she won the 2016 Volunteers of America Texas Shootout, Shin said the victory would not fully sink in until she got home to her mother.
“Still in awe. Nothing has registered yet,” Shin said. “I wanted to talk to my mum, but I was on the verge of tears, so I hung up without really her answering the phone. I think it will hit me as soon as I talk to my mum.”
Seen against that history, the distance she now describes is striking. Shin moved to Nevada in 2017, a year after that first win. By her own account, the 8-12 years of her career were a struggle as she tried to figure out who she was.
Her thoughts on family relationships extend beyond her own experiences, too. In January, she was asked how much freedom young golfers should have from their parents. She wrote that if parents see talent and interest, “it’s okay to challenge them and push them,” while stressing that “listening to them is crucial.”
Her openness about family is not limited to her mother. On October 25, 2025, Shin also wrote about her father following a series of heart-to-heart conversations. She said she was proud to be his daughter and believed he had done the best he could while raising her, even if they would probably continue to butt heads forever.
For now, Shin heads into the final stretch of her season with two LPGA titles to her name and, by her own account, the hope of having her mother as her best friend again. But the conversations she is having with her parents may prove just as meaningful as anything she achieves on the course.