Shin's side said on the 9th, "We commissioned a company to analyze footage of the round, and the conclusion was that Shin Da-in replaced the ball properly," disclosing the related report. The report said, "No clear change was identified that would support a judgment that the ball had moved from its original position. Therefore, caution is needed in concluding that the player moved the ball."
Shin received the two-stroke penalty on the grounds that she replaced her ball in a wrong place after lifting and returning it on the first green during the tournament's final third round at Adonis CC in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 6th. Chasing a second consecutive victory after the preceding KG Ladies Open, Shin was effectively knocked out of contention by the penalty and finished tied for sixth.
But after the round, Shin said, "I did not replace the ball in a wrong place. The competition committee first said the ball had moved 3 centimeters, then later changed its account to say it moved by about the width of a fingernail," expressing distrust of the KLPGA committee's ruling. The KLPGA committee countered, "(On video) it was clearly visible that the ball had moved 2 to 3 centimeters from its original spot. The ruling was made correctly."
As controversy grew over the penalty, Shin's camp commissioned a company to analyze the footage. The analysis compared relative positions by overlaying the scene before Shin lifted the ball with the scene after she replaced it.
The report said, "We overlaid, compared and enlarged the two scenes before and after Shin Da-in's replacement, but no clear change was identified that would support a judgment that the ball moved meaningfully from its original position." However, when the overlaid images from before and after the replacement were enlarged, a slight change was observed in which part of the ball's outer shape appeared different. The report explained, "It is difficult to clearly identify this as an actual shift in the center position of the ball. It may be affected by the video's resolution, compression and frame characteristics, as well as the shooting angle."
The report added, "Based only on the video material reviewed, no clear visual evidence was found to conclude that the player intentionally moved the ball," and, "Therefore, caution is needed in judging that the player moved the ball on the basis of this footage alone. Consideration must also be given to the minute differences that can arise in the ordinary procedure of marking, lifting, cleaning and replacing a ball, and to the limitations of the video itself."
Shin's side said, "We consistently raised objections to the ruling after the round and asked to see the high-definition footage (that the committee said it had reviewed), but the committee did not disclose it, so we had no choice but to commission a company ourselves," adding, "This video analysis report scientifically and objectively proves that Shin Da-in did not replace the ball in a wrong place."
The camp went on to say, "Since the tournament has already ended, the result itself cannot be overturned, but we hope for a sincere apology from the KLPGA competition committee even now. We also hope Shin Da-in's reputation is restored."
The KLPGA said, "Regarding the claims in Shin Da-in's side's video analysis report, the association's position remains unchanged from before."
