Butterflies. That’s what the South Korean‘s felt after she dominated in the opening rounds, only to crack under pressure later. After the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship wrapped up at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, on June 27, the LPGA pro confessed that the pressure and nerves of competing at the highest level never truly go away. 

“Of course, like many butterflies in my body, not just stomach,” said Ina Yoon at the presser. “Sometimes I’m shaking, like everyone does. And I breathe fast, so I try to breathe slower and walk slower… I think it was pretty windy [at the] beginning of the round. It was pretty much the same [as] I expected… It was nothing special for me… I was nervous when I’m playing KLPGA, as well.”

Yoon‘s nerves showed on Saturday. She started the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship like a dream. She fired a record-tying 9-under 63 in the opening round to take a two-shot lead. In the next round, things appeared to be stable for the 23-year-old, as she scored a 3-under 69 on Friday. This stretched her lead to five shots at 12-under through 36 holes.  

But ‘Moving Day’ told a different story. Despite the lead cushion, it took just seven holes for her lead to vanish. Even worse, it turned into a three-shot deficit. Yoon carded a 3-over 75, tumbling into solo third behind trailing leader Haeran Ryu (-11) and Brooke Henderson (-10), as the tournament heads into the final round. Despite losing her lead, Yoon claims she knows how to deal with the nerves. 

“When I get nervous, just try to breathe, drink some water, and have some snacks so I can chew,” she added. “Yeah, talking with Kevin [Benstead] or maybe the other players, that actually really helps. [Kevin] sometimes asks me about my little puppy, Nana. She’s … eight months old. When I’m thinking of her, it’s really — that makes me happy.”

Perhaps the South Korean star should have brought her companion on the tour. Five-time LPGA champion Michelle Wie West frequently traveled with her Pomeranian mix, Lola, throughout her career. And three-time major championship winner Pádraig Harrington brought his two Bernese Mountain Dogs to a Pro-Am event. So, there’s no shortage of such cases. 

But in Yoon’s puppy’s absence, Ryu seized control of the championship with a third-round 4-under-68, seizing a one-shot lead over Henderson, who is chasing her third career major title. In any case, Yoon’s early nerves hadn’t surfaced when she teed off Saturday. 

LPGA pro feels she was unlucky, but survived the round

The South Korean is currently two shots behind Ryu and one shot behind Henderson. So, it’s not like the entire tournament has slipped out of her hands. But when asked what actually went wrong on Saturday, she appeared to have had a pretty good idea. 

“My first tee shot, I wasn’t extremely nervous about it, but I think I was a little unlucky. It was tucked in the bunker, so I had to lay up. I tried to keep calm. I thought when I had the birdie on 3, I was able to kind of think to myself, I was keeping my calm. 

“But missing my short putts had me a little frazzled, but overall I think I was kind of able to recover from that and kind of survive this round.”

The final round gets underway on Sunday, with all eyes on whether Yoon can recover from her third-round stumble and work her way back into contention. If Yoon pulls off a win, it would be her first LPGA Tour victory and her first major title.