At just 19, Yealimi Noh is younger than all six of the amateurs who made the cut in the 75th U.S. Women’s Open. Still, in Saturday’s third round at Champions Golf Club she played as if she’s been on tour all her life. In fact, in a way she has. She certainly looked like she belongs.
Noh, the daughter of Korean immigrants, grew up in Concord, Calif., and started competing when she was just 9 years old. Because of vital junior programs like LPGA/USGA Girls Golf and the Youth on Course initiative by the Northern California Golf Association, she was able to get the instruction and playing opportunities needed to progress.
When she reeled off three birdies in a row in Saturday’s third round at Champions to make the turn at 3 under par for the championship, it looked like she would make a run at the lead. And although three bogeys on the incoming nine dropped her to even-par 213 after 54 holes, she stands only four strokes behind leader Hinako Shibuno, with four players under par after Round 3.
“I feel I played pretty good,“ Noh said after going out in 34 and coming back in 38 to be tied for fifth place. “On the front nine, I was putting it really well and the back nine the bogeys that I had were just short putts that I missed. So overall, I think I played pretty well today.”
That’s a pretty mature attitude, which is probably to be expected from someone who has progressed as quickly as Noh has. She was all set to attend UCLA on a golf scholarship when she went on a tear in the summer of 2018.
First, she won the Girls Junior PGA Championship in July, the month she turned 17, topping current U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Rose Zhang by four strokes. One week later, she captured the U.S. Girls’ Junior at Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach, Calif. That got her a spot on the USA Team in the Junior Ryder Cup, and it also got her thinking about turning pro.
It was too late for Noh to enter the 2018 LPGA Qualifying Series, but she turned pro in January and played 2019 by entering Tour events through Monday qualifiers. That worked well. She was second in Portland and T-6 in Wisconsin. She entered the Q Series, finishing third and earning her LPGA card for 2020.
And her rookie season has been rock solid. She’s made 14 cuts in 15 tries, tied for second last week in the Volunteers of America Classic and was T-3 at the Cambia Portland Classic. This week, she looked at home amid the pressure of a major championship.
“I was really excited for this event, because it was my first [U.S. Women’s Open],” she said. “I think last week definitely gave me a lot of confidence going into this week. I think just focus. I mean, it's just like focusing on yourself and see where it will take you, because you can't really control anyone else.”
Noh competed on the Junior Tour of Northern California and is yet another example of the growth of girls’ golf worldwide.
Since 2002, four winners of the U.S. Girls’ Junior have won LPGA majors. Inbee Park (2002) has seven majors, including the U.S. Women’s Open in 2008 and 2013; Ariya Jutanugarn (2011) has two, including the 2018 U.S Women’s Open; Lexi Thompson (2008) and In Kyung Kim (2005) each have one major.
Three other Girls’ Junior winners since 2002 have won on the LPGA: Julieta Grenada (2004), Jenny Shin (2006) and Minjee Lee (2012). And it appears as if Noh is closing in on joining that list.
The pressure of Sunday at the U.S. Women’s Open could be just the learning experience she needs to get over the top. After all, she’s still a teenager.
If Noh were to win this week, she would break Inbee Park’s record as the youngest U.S. Women’s Open winner by a couple of months.
“I didn't know that,” Noh said. “Just hoping to play my best tomorrow and just not have any regrets.”
So far, the path she has taken has led to no regrets.
Ron Sirak is a Massachusetts-based freelance writer who frequently contributes to USGA digital channels.
