Pro has previously been suspended for cheating at the KPMG Women’s PGA tournament
CHASKA, Minn. – Ina Yoon is almost over this week. Her nine-under 63 on Thursday tied for the lowest score in the history of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. He went out on Friday and made four more birdies on the front-nine and shot a 69.
He finally returned to Earth on Saturday (six-to-three bogeys to shoot 75), but he’s still in the lead with 18 holes remaining in the third LPGA major of the season — and one major round away from capturing his first championship.
The pressure? He said he felt it on Saturday. Although Yoon’s path so far is unlike that of any of his peers.
Four years ago, Yoon, now a 23-year-old South Korean pro, was suspended from the Korean Golf Association and the KLPGA for a cheating scandal.
There were few details about the suspension, though Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols interviewed Yoon through an interpreter earlier this year and learned more. As a 19-year-old rookie playing in the first round of the 2022 Korea Women’s Open, Yoon’s drive missed the fairway, and her teammates helped her find her ball. He played it, until he realized it was a foul ball, but he didn’t tell anyone.
“I wasn’t sure what to do because this had never happened to me, so I was confused,” said Yoon. Golfweek. “My caddy said to hit it. I shouldn’t have listened, but I listened. I should have reported right away, but I was nervous and nervous about that. I missed the cut, and I thought it would be fine. The people around me told me it shouldn’t be a big problem, so I listened.”
A month later at a different tournament – the KLPGA’s Evercollagen Queens Crown, which she eventually won – Yoon was accused of breaking the rules and pleaded guilty to it a day later.
The KLPGA’s Reward and Punishment sub-committee took swift action, suspending him for three years. In a statement, the committee said, “We will continue to deal hard with incidents like this.”
Yoon said Golfweek that although he did not break the rules with “bad intent,” he accepted the ban because of his mistake.
On appeal, the ban was eventually cut in half to 18 months. During the suspension, Yoon moved to Tampa, Fla., played as the only woman on the Minor League Golf Tour, and donated all of her winnings to minor golf programs.
He returned to the KLPGA in 2024 and earned his LPGA membership in 2025 through the LPGA Q-Series.
Last year, as a rookie, he had 18 of 26 top-10 finishes, but has taken another step forward this season. He missed just one cut in 11 games and recorded four top-10 finishes, even threatening to win the season-high Chevron Championship before tying for fourth.
Now he has his next best chance at a major title. She led the KPMG Women’s PGA after the first and second rounds, but after a 75 on Saturday, she is now nine under and in third place. Haeran Ryu leads the way at 11 under, with Brooke Henderson in second place at 10 under. Alison Lee and Nelly Korda are both tied at seven under, four off the lead.
