by KARIN CHAN
editor@charactermedia.com
South Korean golfer Chun In-gee, 20, won her first LPGA major championship Sunday in her debut at the U.S. Women’s Open in Pennsylvania.
Chun, now the seventh South Korean golfer to claim this title, enjoyed a one-stroke victory over fellow South Korean Amy Yang to an American audience at Lancaster Country Club. Chun shot a 4-under 66 in the final round with a four-round total of 8 under to become the first player to win her U.S. Open debut since Birdie Kim in 2005.
“I had a birdie opportunity on the 15th on all four days, and I was feeling great playing that hole today, too,” she told Yonhap News Agency. “On the final hole, I got into deep rough (off the tee). I wanted to play it safe and punch it out to the fairway, and hit a solid third shot. This was a long course (at 6,406 yards) with thick rough, and missing the fairway would make life difficult. Fortunately, I hit good shots all week and didn’t miss much.”
Winner of last year’s U.S. Open, Korean American player Michelle Wie winced in pain throughout the rounds due to her hip and leg injuries. South Korean Park In-bee tied with Stacy Lewis for third place.
Having won a major on Japan’s LPGA and 3 times on Korea’s LPGA this year, Chun’s success has resulted in a fan club, “The Flying Dumbos,” named after the young golfer’s nickname, “Dumbo.” Now written on Chun’s golf bag as a playful nod, the nickname stuck ever since Chun’s coach claimed that she has supersonic hearing, Golfweek reported.
“Everything I faced and I did here was completely new,” Chun told Associated Press. “So all I did was enjoy the new stuff … I enjoyed it and had a lot of fun. Even though I’m Korean, here American fans supported me a lot and they gave a lot of claps. That has put me in the great rhythm of play, and I enjoyed that tournament rhythm.”
Chun is still thinking about whether she should claim the LPGA membership because of her Korean sponsor commitments, according to ESPN. The sports channel reported that Chun has several more tournaments to play, returning to Korea for two KLPGA tournaments and heading to Scotland for the Women’s British Open.
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Featured image via Fox Sports/YouTube (Screenshot)
