In Chevron hunt, emerging LPGA star opens up on cheating scandal

While she stepped away from the tour as officials decided her fate, Yoon noted that her caddie at the time went on to do interviews with the Korean press, saying that he had given her two options: to hit the ball or not.

“He said that I chose to hit the ball, and people believed that,” said Yoon. “People believed what the caddie said, and I was pretty upset that that became the truth at that time.

“He told me to hit it,” she continued, “but at the end of the day, I am the player and the player takes responsibility. I think I was just young and naïve and I listened to it.”

The KLPGA Reward and Punishment Subcommittee ultimately banned Yoon for three years, releasing a statement that said, "We will continue to deal sternly with similar incidents.”

Long sentences aren’t unusual in South Korea. In 2019, the KPGA doled out a three-year ban to Bio Kim after he made an obscene gesture to fans after a cellphone camera went off during his downswing. Kim was the tour's leading money winner at the time.

“People around me that knew the situation felt that it wasn’t fair,” said Yoon of the length of the ban, “but whatever the punishment was as a player, it was my fault at the end of the day, so I took that on.

“But, as a golfer, three years is a lot of time. My future seemed a bit bleak at the time.”

Ina Yoon of South Korea plays a shot on the fifth hole during the third round of The Chevron Championship 2026 at Memorial Park Golf Course on April 25, 2026 in Houston, Texas.

Yoon grew emotional on Saturday after play had finished at Memorial Park, as she talked about the toll that it took, causing her to nearly give up the game she'd been playing more than half her life. She felt lost.

“I didn’t do it with malicious intent, but people were pointing fingers at me,” she said. “But then, on the other side, there were fans, so I didn’t want to try to think too negatively.”

Needing someplace to compete, Yoon moved to Tampa, Florida, in 2023, and played on the men’s Minor League Golf Tour. After playing in 13 events on that tour with three runner-up finishes, she donated $10,000 to the Sandhill Crane Junior Golf Program. Her mini tour scoring average: 67.92.

Eventually, with the help of a fan club petition that included 5,000 signatures, both the KGA and KLPGA reduced Yoon’s suspension to 18 months. Yoon told Korean reporters at that time, “I will not repeat the same mistake again.”

Yoon’s triumphant return to the KLPGA in 2024 included 14 top-10 finishes in 25 starts, including a win at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters. She topped the money list and led the tour in scoring at 70.0526.

The next month, she went to the final stage of LPGA Q-School and finished solo eighth, joining the tour as a rookie in 2025. Currently No. 53 in the Rolex Rankings, Yoon has three top-20 finishes in her last three starts on the LPGA, including a solo fourth last week in L.A.

“I’m not sure what the U.S. fans or LPGA may think,” said Yoon, “but I’ve reflected a lot, and now I will do my best to become the best player I can be.”

And with that, she went off to prepare for her biggest round yet.

Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek and a consistent contributor to Golf Channel.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Chevron contender opens up about cheating ban that nearly caused her to quit