Yoon Ina, last year's LPGA rookie, cracked the Top 10 in only one statistical category in 2024. She ranked second in eagles with 14. The only other category where she came close to the Top 10 was driving distance, where she placed 13th at 272.94 yards.
She ranked 63rd in prize money, 42nd in greens in regulation, 48th in scoring average, 23rd in birdies and 23rd in ball striking — hardly the performance expected of the 2024 KLPGA Tour's top player.
Though the season is still early, Yoon's second year on the LPGA Tour looks entirely different from her rookie campaign. She has already landed in the Top 10 across numerous statistical categories.
She has made notable technical strides. Yoon currently ranks 8th in driving distance at 280.91 yards and 9th in greens in regulation at 73.61%. Only three players rank in the Top 10 in both driving distance and greens in regulation — world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States, rookie Helen Briem of Germany and Yoon.
Kim A-lim will play alongside Mao Saigo of Japan and Lauren Coughlin of the United States, while Choi Hye-jin is grouped with Ayaka Furue of Japan and Jennifer Kupcho of the United States.
In addition to driving distance and greens in regulation, Yoon ranks 9th in birdies, 9th in eagles, 8th in sub-70 rounds and 4th in ball striking, showcasing peak form with her shots. Built on that shot-making, she ranks 5th in scoring average, 6th in the money list and 9th in Player of the Year standings — numerous key titles where she sits inside the Top 10.
In her two most recent starts, Yoon finished solo fourth at the JM Eagle LA Championship and tied for fourth at the Chevron Championship. She skipped last week's Riviera Maya Open in Mexico. This week, she will compete at the Mizuho Americas Open, held for four days starting Wednesday (local time) at Mountain Ridge Country Club (par 72) in West Caldwell, New Jersey — and she is finally receiving VIP treatment.
On the opening day, Yoon will play alongside last year's champion and world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand. The third member of the group is world No. 8 Yin Ruoning of China.
With Korda — who has three wins and three runner-up finishes in six starts this year — and two-time winner Kim Hyo-joo absent, Yoon is considered a strong contender for the title. Korean players have been placed in several marquee groupings at this event. Ko Jin-young will play with Miyu Yamashita of Japan and Lexi Thompson of the United States, while Kim Sei-young competes in a group with Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand and Rio Takeda of Japan.
