In a statement released Thursday through her management company, Sema Sports Marketing, Yoon said she was not careful enough in how she described the situation in an interview ahead of the final round.
“Because I was explaining it in an urgent situation right after the match, I was not careful in my wording during the process,” she said. “I take this seriously and am deeply reflecting.”
“Above all, I apologize to everyone who may have been hurt by those remarks,” Yoon said. “I clearly recognize that in any situation, the responsibility lies with the player. I had no intention of shifting that responsibility to anyone else.”
The controversy began after an interview with a local outlet following the third round of the Chevron Championship last week. In the interview, conducted through an interpreter, Yoon described the wrong-ball situation by saying her tee shot went into the rough and other players helped look for the ball. She said she did not realize it was not her ball until she was about to hit her next shot.
She added that it was her first time in such a situation and she panicked. “My caddie told me to hit it, but I shouldn’t have listened,” she said. She also said she should have reported it immediately but was “too nervous and scared,” and believed it would be OK because she thought she would miss the cut and people around her said it would not become a big issue.
The remarks drew scrutiny because they conflicted with what she had previously stated while playing on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association tour. Her apology at the time said she realized the ball had been switched only after reaching the green.
After the interview became an issue, Yoon apologized again, saying the episode made her realize her words and actions can have a major impact. She said she would approach every moment with greater care and maturity and work to earn the trust of officials and fans.
Yoon received a three-year suspension after she recognized a wrong-ball play during the first round of the 2022 Korea Women’s Open but reported it a month later. The penalty was later reduced to 1 1/2 years. She returned to the KLPGA Tour in 2024, won the season’s top award, and moved to the U.S. the following year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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