Under USGA Rule 6.3c, playing the wrong ball in stroke play costs a two-stroke penalty, requiring you to return and properly complete the hole with your own ball. Ina Yoon, however, faced a harsher penalty, an 18-month ban, for breaching Chapter 3, Article 15 of the KLPGA code in the league’s season opener. She finally decided to talk about that nightmare year at the Chevron Championship.

Following the Saturday round, Yoon told Golfweek, “I wasn’t sure what to do because this had never happened to me, so I was a bit frazzled. 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.”

In the first round of the 2022 Korea Women’s Open, Yoon’s tee shot veered sharply right into the rough. Spotting what she thought was her ball after a tip-off, the 19-year-old struck it, only to discover at the next tee it wasn’t hers. Unsure how to proceed, she stayed quiet, and no one knew. She missed the cut, but her real error was the silence. Reportedly, her caddie warned he’d expose the breach if she did not stay silent.

A month later, while playing at KLPGA’s Evercollagen Queens Crown, she was openly accused of cheating. The next day, a nervous Yoon self-reported to the Korean Golf Association. The KLPGA’s Reward and Punishment Subcommittee handed Yoon a three-year suspension for “lack of sportsmanship or disreputable behavior” and breaching Chapter 3, Article 15 of the code and conduct. They noted her eventual self-report but stressed it came far too late after the incident.

The Hoban Seoul Shinmun Women’s Classic marked the last event of her rookie season. However, after lengthy appeals and reviews and some 5,000 signatures her fan club collected, the KGA cut Yoon’s suspension to 18 months.

At that time, she told Korean media, “I will not repeat the same mistake again.”

She hasn’t; although Yoon did face intense scrutiny for her slow play last season, the fate of her caddie remains unknown.

However, as she battled the scandal, her caddie went on to give interviews, claiming he had given Yoon two options: to hit the ball or not. Regarding the same, Yoon also had some comments.

“He said that I chose to hit the ball, and people believed that.” She also accepted her fault, “but at the end of the day, I am the player, and the player takes responsibility. I think I was just young and naive, and I listened to it.”

But, of course, such harsh punishments are expected out of the league. For instance, in 2019, KPGA handed Bio Kim a three-year ban after he made an obscene gesture at a fan whose camera went off during his downswing. Meanwhile, pros on the other circuits have faced harsh punishments for similar mistakes as Yoon.

Mark Hensby, for instance, was assessed a 10-stroke penalty for the same at the now-defunct PGA Tour event Palmetto Championship. Justin Rose played the wrong ball at The Sentry 2024 and received a two-stroke penalty.

For Yoon, however, this serves as a chance to rewrite her future.

Ina Yoon has a lot to prove to the American fans

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

A top-5 finish here will only solidify her statement, and her history summarizes why she deserves it.

Following the ban, Yoon was worried about her future, now accepting that she didn’t do anything with “malicious intent.” To continue the game she loved, Yoon relocated to Tampa, Florida, in 2023 and competed on the men’s Minor League Golf Tour. In 13 starts, she notched three runner-up results before donating $10,000 to the Sandhill Crane Junior Golf Program.

In 2024, she returned to the KLPGA, posting 14 top 10s, including a win at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters. The following month, she finished 8th in LPGA Q-School, earning her card for the 2025 season. This season, Yoon has posted 3 top-20s in her last three starts, including a solo fourth at the JM Eagle LA Championship. She seems to be on the right path.

Following the Friday round at the Chevron Championship, a hopeful Yoon stated, “I think that [process] helps me just focus on the present and like just be calm, and I feel like I’m a better golfer now.”

She definitely is. Now, the world will need to look forward and give her a chance.