Ina Yoon urges young golfers to keep practicing

MANILA, Philippines -- Rising golfer Ina Yoon pushed aspiring Filipina golfers to keep working on their craft and "follow their heart," as they try to swing for the stars and make it to the big leagues.

Yoon, ranked 43rd in the world, is currently in her rookie year in the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

She made her debut in February of this year and finished within the top 25 of a competition four times thus far.

Her most recent tournament is the AIG Women’s Open.

Yoon, who is in the Philippines to lead the launch of a new golf simulator at the Solaire Sports Club in Paranaque City, said that she is happy to hear that there are young Filipinas who are interested in golf.

“[I] wanted them to practice not because their parents want them to play but they need to practice because they like it and they love to play,” Yoon said through a translator.

“And if they practice and follow their heart, eventually they will have a good result,” she added.

“[I like] to hear that there are a lot of Philippine girls love to play and waiting for them to make it on the tour as well.”

Golf is getting increasingly popular among the youth here in the Philippines.
There are currently 22 Asians in the top 50 of the LPGA rankings.

The 22-year-old won two LPGA of Korea Tour titles back in the 2022 EverCollagen Queens Crown and the 2024 Jeju Samdasoo Masters. She also won a KLPGA Dream Tour in 2021.

And now that she is showcasing her skills against top golfers in the world, the learning never stops for Yoon.

“In the beginning, when [I] first joined the tour this year, it was very exciting also, because all the stars are right in front of [me]. But these days, I’m trying to focus more on their swings and their positive parts and the things that I can learn,” she stated.

“So, [I'm] trying to learn a lot from the stars like Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, and everyone else.”

And for Yoon, those who are just beginning to play golf may sharpen their skills in the indoor simulation golf.

“[I] think technology is really good and advanced. That's why whenever [I] practice here, it's always better to practice here indoors and whenever [I go] out to the course, it's very helpful,” she said.

“It's very similar because back then, the technology wasn't advanced enough. These days, it's a lot better, so she said it's very helpful to practice indoors.”

Aspiring golfers will be able to work on their swing indoors compared to outdoors, as the weather will not affect the ball.

“Whenever [I] practice indoors, because we have a very technological machine in there, we're definitely going to track the driving distance and the ball spin and everything. That's going to be helpful to her to make it better on her golf. All the numbers that can be tracked with the machine are very helpful.”