​Ina Yoon has been nearly unstoppable this week, posting a nine-under 63 on Thursday—the lowest score ever at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship—and following with a 69 on Friday that included four front-nine birdies. She slipped a bit on Saturday, carding six bogeys to three birdies for a 75, yet remains in strong contention with 18 holes to play in the LPGA’s third major of the year, one excellent round away from her first major title. Yoon acknowledged feeling the pressure on Saturday, though her path to this moment is unlike that of her peers.
Her journey is marked by a dramatic fall and a dramatic rise. The 23-year-old South Korean professional was suspended four years ago by the Korean Golf Association and KLPGA after a cheating scandal. Details emerged in interviews this year. In the 2022 Korea Women’s Open, a misplaced driving effort led her to play the wrong ball at the green after her partners helped locate it, and she did not report the mistake. She later admitted to the misstep, though she insisted there was no malicious intent. The incident culminated in a three-year ban from the KLPGA, which the Reward and Punishment Subcommittee described as a firm stance against similar behavior.
Yoon accepted the ban, then pursued appeals that reduced it to 18 months. During the suspension, she relocated to Tampa, Florida, played as the only woman on the Minor League Golf Tour, and donated all winnings to junior golf programs. She returned to the KLPGA in 2024 and earned LPGA membership for 2025 through the LPGA Q-Series. As a rookie last year, she made 18 of 26 cuts with one top-10 finish, and this season she’s been even stronger, missing just one cut in 11 starts with four top-10s, and she briefly led the Chevron Championship before tying for fourth.
Now she’s back in major contention at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, having led after the first two rounds and aiming to convert her breakout season into a first major victory.