Yoon Yi-na, in her second LPGA season, had not been paired with a player from any other country through the first three rounds of this tournament. In the first and second rounds, played in three-player groups, she went head-to-head with senior compatriots Kim Sei-young and Yoo Hae-ran, and even in the two-player groupings of the third round, she was paired with veteran Chun In-gee.
On the final day of the LPGA Tour's Kroger Queen City Championship, to be held Sunday at Maketewah Country Club (par 70) in Cincinnati, Ohio, Yoon will finally face a player from another country for the first time in this tournament. What makes it intriguing is that her final-round opponent is none other than Miyu Yamashita of Japan, who was named LPGA Rookie of the Year last season. Yoon, who shot a 1-under 71 in the third round to sit tied for 10th at 4-under 206, will be paired in the final two-player grouping with Yamashita, who carded a 3-under 67 to stand tied for 16th at 3-under 207.
Early last year, Yoon and Yamashita were expected to battle for Rookie of the Year honors. The result saw Yamashita claim the rookie title while Yoon finished seventh in the rookie rankings. The two were hardly comparable. But this year, Yoon's standing has completely changed from last year. While she has yet to win, she is putting up results worthy of a top player, ranking seventh on the money list and 11th in CME points. Of course, Yamashita's rise has been just as impressive. She ranks 12th on the money list, lower than Yoon, but is one spot higher in CME points at 10th. The two are finally in a position to compete on truly equal footing.
On this day, Yoon endured a tedious and grueling stretch with pars on as many as 13 holes. But she picked up her first birdie on the par-5 14th and added a second on the par-4 16th. A bogey on the par-3 18th — her only one of the day — was a regrettable finish, but it set up the chance to renew her unfinished rivalry with last year's rookie of the year, Yamashita.
Yoo Hae-ran, who was paired with Yoon on the opening day, struggled with a 71 in the first round but fired consecutive 4-under 66s in the second and third rounds to climb to sole third place at 7-under 203. Above Yoo are only sole leader Lottie Woad of England (11-under 199) and sole second-place Amanda Doherty of the United States (8-under 202). Yoo will be paired in the final round with sole fourth-place Lydia Ko of New Zealand (6-under 204) as she goes after her first win of the season.
Chun In-gee, who shot a 2-under 68 to climb into a tie for 10th, is looking for her second top-10 finish of the season after a sole fifth-place result at the Ford Championship. Four Korean players — Ko Jin-young, Choi Hye-jin, Kim A-rim and Shin Ji-eun — are tied for 19th at 2-under 208 and aiming to break into the top 10.
World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is tied for fifth at 5-under 205, while world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States is tied for 10th.
