When it comes to the biggest surprise on the LPGA Tour, there has never been a question concerning her talent, but Yealimi Noh has finally put it all together and is playing with a confidence she hasn’t shown before.
Noh, the 23-year-old junior prodigy, actually fits the mold of some of the other surprise breakouts we have seen in recent years like A Lim Kim and Lauren Coughlin. While she is much younger than them, she is a veteran with this being her sixth full season on the LPGA Tour. Like Kim and Coughlin, the issue has always seemed to be more based around confidence than talent.
Noh, some may forget, was actually selected to the 2021 Solheim Cup at just 19-years-old and played fairly well. She struggled after that though, never putting together a season with more than five top-10 finishes. She also never once got into the winner’s circle. Her major championship performances were erratic at best and she struggled mightily with her short game, especially on the greens.
Now, in 2025, Noh has been one of the stronger players on the LPGA Tour. She has four top-10 finishes already, with four additional top-20 finishes. She got her first win at The Founders Cup, holding off the great Jin Young Ko down the stretch on Sunday. She has been in contention on the weekend at both the U.S. Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, notching top-15 performances in both. While her putter still is far from the strength of her game, she isn’t losing strokes on the greens for the first time in her career.
Noh has always been a world class ball striker. While it is nothing new in 2025, it has been better than ever before. In 2025 she is No. 6 in strokes gained total, No. 4 in strokes gained tee-to-green, No.. 7 in strokes gained driving and No. 14 in strokes gained approach. She is third on the LPGA Tour in greens in regulation.
She is top 25 in scoring on par 3s, par 4s and par 5s. She ranks No. 4 in par 4 scoring. She has made the second most eagles on tour this year with eight in just 11 starts. She has already risen 52 spots in the Rolex Rankings up into the top 20 in the world.
While the potential of greatness was always present for Noh, I don’t know if anyone saw her rise happening this quickly.
