"This year will be different."
Yoon Yi-na begins her 2025 season at the LET PIF Saudi Ladies International, the same tournament where she recorded her first top-10 finish last year. The four-day event tees off February 11 at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia.
Last year, Yoon struggled in her first tournament, missing the cut at the Founders Cup—her LPGA rookie debut. She failed to adapt to a new driver and suffered through erratic shots. But she bounced back in her second event, tying for fourth at the Saudi Ladies International and shaking off her early-season woes.
Yoon recorded just one top-10 finish on the LPGA Tour last season: a tied-10th place at the Toto Japan Classic in November. Including other tours, she finished in the top 10 three times, adding a tied-third at the KLPGA Tour's Jeju Samdasoo Masters.
The Saudi Ladies International was her first top-10 of 2024 and her most lucrative, earning her $160,000—the highest purse among her three top-10 finishes.
Yoon's schedule shifted from last year. She was ineligible for the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, and the Founders Cup moved from the second event to the fifth. The Saudi tournament thus becomes her 2025 opener.
Though not an LPGA event, the tournament carries significant weight for Yoon. A strong start could provide momentum heading into the LPGA Tour's Asian Swing—the Honda LPGA Thailand and HSBC Women's World Championship.
After a difficult first half of 2024, Yoon showed clear improvement in the second half. Half of her eight top-25 finishes came in her final four tournaments, with results of 24th, 11th, 10th, and 21st.
Nineteen Korean players will compete for the $5 million purse, including Choi Hye-jin, Lee So-mi, Yoo Hyun-jo, Hong Jeong-min, Bang Shin-sil, Kim Min-sol, Lee Dong-eun, Yang Hee-young, Ko Ji-won, Ma Da-som, Jeong Yun-ji, Seo Gyo-rim, Bae So-hyun, Park Hye-jun, Kim Min-sun VII, Kim Si-hyun, Park Bo-gyeom, and Lee Chae-eun II.