Yealimi Noh is usually all smiles. The amiable San Francisco native was rolling along on Thursday afternoon, finding momentum in her opening round at Fields Ranch East on the front nine (her back nine) at 2-under until a short missed par putt on the par-3 fourth hole left a frustrated frown on her face.
That same look reappeared on the following hole after another missed par putt, this one a right-to-left sidewinder from ten feet.
But this year’s Founder Cup winner rallied late in the Texas heat and executed an array of good shots on her final holes, including draining a 15-footer for birdie on No. 7 and finding the green in two on No. 9, followed by a club twirl and two-putt birdie from 30 feet.
.@YealimiNoh bouncing back from a pair of bogies with a nice birdie on 7! #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/7SJLnsnjOt
— KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 20, 2025
All in all, the rising star felt good about her start, a 2-under par 70 that leaves her only two behind leader Jeeno Thitikul.
“I hit it really solid today. My putting was really good and I had a lot of good feels around the green,” Noh told the media after her round. “I just played really consistently well and fought through the heat.”
In the big picture, Noh understands the importance of having a resilient mindset for the course and weather presented here this week.
“It was a battle the whole day,” Noh said. “the front nine, actually the whole round my head was hurting from the heat and all. Just tried to do the best I could with hydrating, just staying in the moment with golf.”
Looks like @YealimiNoh found some more gas in the tank ⛽️ after going birdie birdie! #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/oqXwI7hTA9
— KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 19, 2025
Staying present is always a good thing, especially in major championship tests like this week.
Noh has two top tens in 24 major championship starts, but delivered a strong performance in the most recent one earlier this month at the U.S. Women’s Open where she finished tied for fourteenth.
The 23-year-old has played in enough of these major championship examinations to know that the first day is critical to get into position, then trying to stay there is a more attainable ask then trying to play catch up the final three rounds after a bad Thursday.
“Putting myself in a good position and setting a tone for the championship is really nice. Hopefully it continues to go well,” Noh said.
