Yoon returns to majors after cheating ban at KPMG

Ina Yoon’s – Ina Yoon matched the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship’s lowest 63 on Thursday, then shot 69 on Friday before a Saturday 75 left her nine under and third place entering the final 18 holes. Her form comes after a cheating scandal four years earlier that led to a th

CHASKA, Minn. — Ina Yoon came out of the gate as if nothing could touch her.

On Thursday, the 23-year-old South Korean pro shot a nine-under 63 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, matching the lowest score in the tournament’s history. On Friday, she kept the rhythm going: four more front-nine birdies carried her to a 69.

Then Saturday arrived with a different feel. Six bogeys to three birdies lifted her to a 75. Even with the swing in momentum, she isn’t out of it. With 18 holes remaining in the LPGA’s third major of the season, she’s still in prime position to turn one good round into her first major championship.

She said she felt the pressure on Saturday.

What’s unusual about Yoon’s path to this moment is how long it took to reach it — and what she had to live with before she ever stood in contention at a major.

Four years ago, Yoon was suspended from the Korean Golf Association and KLPGA for a cheating scandal. Details were scarce at the time, but the episode has resurfaced because Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols interviewed Yoon via an interpreter earlier this year and learned more.

In the first round of the 2022 Korea Women’s Open, at the age of 19, Yoon’s drive missed a fairway. Her playing partners helped her find her ball. She hit it, then realized at the green that it was the wrong ball — and she never told anyone.

“I wasn’t sure what to do because this had never happened to me. so I was a bit frazzled. ” Yoon told Golfweek. “My caddie said to hit it. I shouldn’t have listened, but I did. I should have reported it right away, but I was really nervous and scared about that. I missed the cut, and I thought it would be OK. The people around me told me that it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, so I listened.”.

A month later, at the KLPGA’s Evercollagen Queens Crown — a tournament she would eventually win — Yoon was accused of the rules violation. She admitted to it a day later.

The KLPGA’s Reward and Punishment Subcommittee suspended her for three years. In a statement, the committee said, “We will continue to deal sternly with similar incidents.”

Yoon told Golfweek she didn’t break the rules with “malicious intent,” but accepted the ban for her mistake. Through appeals, the suspension was cut in half to 18 months.

During that time away from the tour, she moved to Tampa, Fla., played as the only woman on the Minor League Golf Tour, and donated all of her winnings to junior golf programs.

She returned to the KLPGA in 2024 and earned her LPGA membership for 2025 via the LPGA Q-Series.

Last year, as a rookie, she made 18 of 26 cuts with one top-10 finish. This season, she has taken another step. She’s missed just one cut in 11 starts and recorded four top-10 finishes. At the Chevron Championship, she even threatened to win the first major of the season before tying for fourth.

Now the spotlight is on her again at the KPMG Women’s PGA.

Through the first and second rounds, she led the championship. After her 75 on Saturday, the leaderboard picture shifted but did not erase her chances. She’s nine under and in third place with 18 holes remaining.

Haeran Ryu leads at 11 under. Brooke Henderson is second at 10 under. Alison Lee and Nelly Korda are both tied at seven under, four off the lead.

The same woman who once said she was too nervous and scared to speak — even after realizing she had played the wrong ball — is now balancing a different kind of fear: the pressure of being close to a first major when the margin can vanish in a single swing.

Ina Yoon KPMG Women's PGA LPGA cheating scandal KLPGA suspension Korean Golf Association Haeran Ryu Brooke Henderson Nelly Korda Alison Lee Chevron Championship