IN GEE CHUN

As a youngster, In Gee Chun was a math prodigy with a genius level IQ. When she was 11, she went with her dad to a driving range. Her dad challenged her to hit a shot; she did, badly, and her dad's friend laughed at her. Determined, she spent the rest of the day practicing, and fell in love with the sport.

In the end, golf won out over academics. Chun became a mainstay of the Korean national team as a teenager; where she was a contemporary of stars like Hyo Joo Kim, Kyu Jung Baek and Min Sun Kim.

Chun's most notable achievement in pro golf before 2013 was at the 2011 Hite Cup. So Yeon Ryu had the lead after two rounds, but a weird rules infraction threw her off her game, and Chun took advantage. She grabbed the third round lead and hung onto it most of the fourth day. But a late triple bogey did her in, allowing another KLPGA star, Ha Neul Kim, to take the Major title from the still amateur Chun.

Her family hit some rough financial times, and she was forced to turn pro at the age of 17 to help her family with money. In Gee turned pro in 2012 and played minor league tours her first year. She joined the KLPGA in 2013 for her rookie year. That year, all the attention was on fellow rookie Hyo Joo Kim, who many believed was the next superstar in Korean golf. Kim did get out to a good start, winning her second event as a KLPGA member and establishing a large lead in the Rookie of the Year race. But Chun came on strong in the Spring. Her breakout event was the Doosan Match Play. She made it all the way to the finals, where she lost to eventual Player of the Year Ha Na Jang. Chun finally had her moment the next month at the Korean Women's Open. Paired in the final round with Kim and another teen star, Kyu Jung Baek, Chun made birdie on the final four holes to win the event by a shot. This moved her to within 100 points of Kim for the Rookie of the Year, and the battle was on!

For the rest of the year, the two duked it out, each collecting many great achievements. Chun came within a putt of winning the year's second Major, the KLPGA Championship, but finished second. She also finished second to Jang again at the Rush and Cash Classic. Alas, an injury in the year's penultimate event took her out for the rest of the year, but she still gave Kim all she could ask for before Kim wrapped up the top Rookie honors.

In all, it was a fabulous first year for Chun. She didn't miss a cut, finishing no worse than 33rd all year. She had nine top tens including the Major win. She finished third on the money list, second for Rookie of the Year, and top five in scoring average and Player of the Year.

(And for those who are wondering, her nickname 'Dumbo' comes from her tendency to keep her ears open at all times, hearing everything around her, like an elephant. It's not a comment on the size of her ears!).

After coming back from her injury, Chun continued her brilliance with a fantastic 2014 season. Although she would not win a Major, she managed three wins during the year, starting with a victory at the S-OIL Invitational. At the KDB Daewoo Financial Classic, she had a riveting battle with Ha Neul Kim, eventually beating her in a playoff when Kim hit her approach into the water. And Chun ended the season with a third win at the Chosun-Ilbo Posco Championship, beating another KLPGA star, Yoon Kyung Heo, in a battle that went down to the final hole.

Chun finished the KLPGA season 4th on the money list with roughly 617 million won earned and 8 top tens. She rose to 19th in the world rankings by year's end.

Though she had a fantastic year on the KLPGA, her most memorable moment of 2014 came at the KEB Hana Bank Championship, an LPGA event. After a weak first round, she climbed the leaderboard the next two days, then seized the lead on the back nine on Sunday. She had a putt to win but missed, winding up in a playoff with Kyu Jung Baek and Brittany Lincicome. Alas, Chun hit an iron in the water during the playoff, and Baek won. But her tie for second showed she is ready to contend on the LPGA level.

In Gee Chun had a monster season in 2015, one of the best a Korean golfer has ever amassed. She was helped by the exodus of KLPGA stars to the LPGA and JLPGA, but she not only dominated the KLPGA in 2015, she also won on the JLPGA and LPGA tours, establishing herself as an international star and earning full membership on the LPGA for 2016.

Chun started the year playing in a few LPGA events, where she made all the cuts but never finished inside the top 20. Upon returning to Korea, it took her just two events to get her first win, at the rain-shortened Samchully Together Open in mid-April. But it was her next win that really set the pace for her year. She was invited to play at the JLPGA's first Major of the year, the Salonpas Cup. Chun had never played on the JLPGA before, but she staked herself to a five shot lead after three rounds and cruised to her first win on that tour. It was also her first win outside the KLPGA as a pro, but it wouldn't be her last!

Chun returned to Korea, and just a few weeks later, stormed to the victory at the Doosan Match Play Championship. She had to win six matches, and only one was a rout. Two went to the final hole, two more ended in playoffs, and the other went to the 17th hole. In the final round against Han Sol Ji, she had an ace and won the event 1up.

In mid-June, Chun successfully defended her title at the S-OIL Champions Invitational. It was her third win of the year, and the first time she ever defended a title.

In Gee continued her jetsetting ways. She flew to Pennsylvania, where she spent a couple of weeks preparing for the US Women's Open in Lancaster. Her work paid dividends. With caddie Dean Herden on her bag (the caddie who had led Jiyai Shin and So Yeon Ryu to Major wins in the past), Chun put herself into contention on Sunday. Then, while leader Amy Yang struggled to remain on top, In Gee made her move. She birdied the tough 15th hole to move into the lead, made birdie on the drivable par 4, then birdied the par 3 17th hole by hitting a gutsy iron directly at the tucked pin. By the time she reached 18, she had a three shot lead.

But Yang struck back, making eagle on 16 after driving the green, then birdie on 17. In Gee missed a par save on 18 and had to wait to see what Yang would do. Yang missed the fairway on 18, but punched out and got her third shot within 9 feet of the hole. She had to make the par save to force a playoff, but she missed, and In Gee Chun, at 20 years of age, became the third youngest woman to ever win the US Women's Open. The win earned her a tour card for the LPGA in 2016. It was the third time that she had made her first win on a tour a Major (she had won the Korean Women's Open as her first win on the KLPGA in 2013, and the Salonpas on the JLPGA in May).

In Gee continued to cruise. A few weeks later, she won the KLPGA's third Major of the season, the Hite Cup, which also happened to be sponsored by her primary sponsor. That was her third Major of the season, and thus she became the first woman golfer to win Majors on three different tours in the same year.

In October, In Gee returned to Japan to play at the Japan Women's Open. This time she had a much more difficult battle for the title. She wound up in a playoff with Erika Kikuchi and Mi Hyang Lee, but in the end, Chun once again got the win, her FOURTH Major of the year, and second out of two tries in Japan.

And she STILL wasn't done. A few weeks later, she added the KLPGA's fourth Major of the year to her resume, the KB Star Finale. In Gee thus won eight times in 2015, five of which were Majors! An absolutely scorching season. And of course, she finished first on the KLPGA money list with over 913 million won earned, the second most in history. She also won the scoring average title by more than half a stroke, and the Player of the Year.

In Gee capped off the year by playing well at the Kowa Queens Team tournament, where she went 2 and 1, and the Hyundai China Open, where she notched a 4th.

In Gee Chun had a superlative rookie season on the LPGA tour in 2016. She joined the ever-growing ranks of Korean stars who won that tour's Rookie of the Year award, but did it in particularly dominating fashion. Her 1,378 points was close to three times what the second ranked rookie achieved.

She started the year with a bang, carding a third place, then a second place finish in her first two starts. However, while arriving in the airport for her third event, she was injured in a freak accident caused when Ha Na Jang's father released a hard suitcase. The case tumbled down an escalator and struck Chun in the lower back. She was forced to miss several events to recover, but when she returned at the ANA Inspiration, she was still brilliant. Indeed, her birdie on the final hole got her briefly into a tie for the lead, before Lydia Ko tapped in for the birdie and the win. Chun followed that runner-up finish with another two weeks later at the Lotte Championship. Four tournaments, four top three finishes.

Chun cooled off after that, and only had a few highlights over the next few months. But she still played well enough to qualify for both the Olympics and the International Crown. She would finish tied for 13th in Rio and struggled a tad at the Crown, with South Korea finishing second to the US in that event.

But In Gee returned to form with an 8th place at the Women's British Open, then followed that with a jaw-dropping wire-to-wire win at the Evian Championship, the year's final Major. Her 21 under par total was the lowest ever achieved with relation to par in a Major, male or female. She won by four shots over fellow Korean stars So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park, who finished tied for second. Chun became only the second woman, after Korean legend Se Ri Pak, to make her first two LPGA wins Majors.

Chun would not win again in 2016, but she played consistently well, rapidly closing the gap between her and Lydia Ko for scoring average. By the time they reached the year's final event, the CME Group Tour Championship, they were virtually tied, and the lead changed hands several times over the four days. With one hole to go, and playing in the same group, Ko's lead was an insanely small .001 strokes. Chun birdied the final hole, Ko parred, and by the slimmest of margins, Chun won the Vare Trophy. She became only the second women's golfer to win the Rookie of the Year and Vare Trophy in the same year, after Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez.

In Gee also tried defending her titles at the Hite Cup and the Japan Women's Open; she finished fourth in both. She tried to defend at the KB Star Final as well, but her injured back flared up and she had to drop out.

Chun spent the final month of the year studying for her final college exams so as to wrap up her college career. She still found time to donate 100 million won to her alma mater Korea University, so they could start a charitable program to assist the elderly and poor. In Gee hopes to participate in charitable activities in the future with this new program.

2017 was another strong season for In Gee, but wins eluded her. She managed ten top tens, including five runner-up finishes and two thirds. Her best events included the Cambia Classic, where she battled Stacy Lewis all day but ended up one shot short (but five shots ahead of third place). She also excelled at the Manulife, where she lost in a playoff to Ariya Jutanugarn; and the KEB Hana Bank, where she had an epic battle against KLPGA star Jin Young Ko and Rookie of the Year Sung Hyun Park in front of thousands of fans. In the end, she broke 1 1/4 million dollars for the year despite not winning, and her scoring average of 69.41 was third best in the league. She got as high as third in the world, and finished the year with a world ranking of 5.

In Gee also had trouble with her main sponsorship. Her long time affiliation with Hite Beer came to an end early in the year, and she spent the rest of the season with the front of her cap blank. Finally, in late December, she wrapped up a deal with KB Financial group.

In Gee played well on the LPGA team at the ING Champions, winning both her singles and team matches. At the end of 2017, she got given a chance to run the Olympic torch relay for the Winter Olympics, which were to take place in February in her homeland.

In Gee's 2018 season was by far the weakest of her three LPGA seasons to date. It wasn't a terrible year; she still earned about $741,000, and her scoring average of 70.20 was 12th in the league. But she had only 4 top tens all year, none in Majors.

Her best early season result came at the Kingsmill Championship. It was rain-shortened, and In Gee led after two rounds. She wound up in a playoff with Japan's Nasa Hataoka and Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn, who won.

In Gee did not qualify for the International Crown, but Inbee Park decided not to play, and the next two qualified players did not want to play, either, so In Gee was named to the team. To add pressure, the event was taking place in South Korea. Although In Gee was not in great form, she played specatularly at the Crown. Teaming with So Yeon Ryu, she won all three team matches, then beat Anna Nordqvist in the singles. Korea won the Crown, and In Gee was the only player to win all her matches.

The next week was the KEB Hana Bank. In Gee played great to set herself up on the weekend, then shot 66-66 to take the title, her first in more than two years. She was overwhelmed with emotion to finally win again, and in her home country to boot.

In Gee also played the OrangeLife Champions, a team battle pitting the KLPGA and LPGA. She teamed with Danielle Kang and Jenny Shin to win. In the singles, In Gee took on top KLPGA star Jeong Eun Lee 6. It was a great match, and they were all square when they reached the final hole. Lee missed the green but pitched in for birdie to take the match. Nonetheless, the LPGA still beat the KLPGA 13-11.

2019 was the weakest year In Gee had on the LPGA to date. She had only two top tens all season: a third place at the BMW Championship in Korea, and a tie for 6th at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, a team event, where she paired with Lydia Ko. Her world ranking dropped to 47th by year's end. She made around $270,000 for the entire year, good for just 67th on the money list. In Gee did not qualify to play on the LPGA team at the OrangeLife Champions, nor did she get into the field at the CME Group Tour Championship. Her main worry seemed to be her driving distance, which dropped to one of the shortest on tour.

In 2020, the whole world was rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic. The LPGA and KLPGA tours canceled and postponed many tournaments. In Gee stayed in Korea much of the summer, but didn't play at any KLPGA events. She returned to the States in late July, but her best results came in the UK in mid-August. She finished 7th in back-to-back weeks at the Scottish and British Women's Opens. Amazingly, this was the first time she had had consecutive top tens in years, and her first top ten at a Major since she won the Evian in 2016!

In Gee had a decent year, a slight comeback from 2019. She made $301,000 in 15 events, good for 37th on the money list.

In Gee made a big comeback in 2021. She started the year with three straight top tens, more than she had made in the any of the three previous years, and managed 8 top tens total for the year. She earned over $750,000, finishing 25th on the money list. She moved from 62nd to 35th in the world rankings during the year. Although she didn't win, she did play very consistently. In fact, with two events remaining, she was leading the Vare Trophy race; everyone ahead of her would not be able to play enough rounds to qualify. However, Lydia Ko changed her schedule at the last minute, did make just enough rounds, and took the Vare Trophy. Still, In Gee's 69.63 average was 7th in the league and 3rd among those who qualified.

In Gee was not as consistent in 2022 as she was in 2021, but when she played well, she played really great. She started the season with a bang by contending at the HSBC Women's World Championship in early March. She got into the final round match up with world #1 Jin Young Ko and Jeongeun Lee6. It was the first time she had had a third round lead since the 2016 Evian. She didn't quite bring it on Sunday, alas, but still finished tied for 2nd. She continued to rack up mostly top 25 finishes the next few months, including a tie for 15th at the US Women's Open.

In late June, however, she had one of the greatest rounds of her entire life. The year's third Major, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, was being played at Congressional outside Washington DC, and it was set up hard. But somehow In Gee lit the place up, making nine birdies and one bogey for a 64. This gave her an unbelievable 5 shot lead after the first round, and her score differential against the field was 11.38, one of the best in Major history. She was absolutely on fire.

She had a strong second round to increase her lead to six, but struggled on the weekend. She lost her lead for a few holes to Lexi Tompson on Sunday, but she hung in there, and when Thompson missed a few short putts, In Gee was there to make the clutch shots. She won the tournament by a stroke. She became only the third Korean to win three Majors, and now needed just either the British or the Chevron Championshp to complete the Grand Slam. Her gap of six years between Majors was one of the longest of any Korean, tying So Yeon Ryu for her gap between the 2011 US Women's Open and 2017 ANA Championship.

In Gee would immediately make a run at the Grand Slam. At the AIG Women's British Open, played for the first time at Muirfield, In Gee took the second round lead. She played decently in round 3, but unheralded South African Ashley Buhai had a fantastic round and took a five-shot lead into the final day. In Gee was a group ahead of her on Sunday, but didn't give up and cut the lead to two by the turn. Buhai still looked poised to easily win, but stumbled with a triple on 15 and suddenly the tournament was tied. In Gee was not able to close it out, though, and they wound up in a playoff. She had a great out from a greenside bunker on the first playoff hole, but on the fourth put her tee shot into a pot bunker and made bogey, losing the event to Buhai. Her solo second was still her best result in the tournament, but it does sting that she was so close to a truly epic achievement and just missed out.

Amazingly, those three top twos were In Gee's only top tens of the year. But she had a fairly solid year overall: she was t-12th at the Chevron, t-22nd at the Evian and t-15th at the US Women's Open in addition to her win and second place at the other two Majors. She had a total of 12 top 25 finishes. As a result, her world ranking climbed to 8th, the highest she had been since 2017. She set a new personal record for most money earned in a season, breaking $2.6 million, and finished third on the money list, her highest ever placing. By January, she was the second highest ranked Korean behind only Jin Young Ko.

She also played at the KB Star Championship on the KLPGA, where she finished 23rd.

At the end of the year, In Gee's peers on the LPGA gave her the Founders Award, given to the player who best examplifies the spirit of the founders of the tour. It was well deserved. In Gee then returned to Korea, where she held an exhibit of her artwork called Bird Meets Dumbo. She had started painting the previous year and had become obsessed with it. By late 2022, she had enough artwork to have a show. Any proceeds from people visiting or buying her paintings would go to the Lancaster Scholarship fund she had founded.

2023 was arguably the weakest season In Gee had since joining the LPGA. She managed only a single top ten all year, a tie for 8th at the Canadian Women's Open. She only had a few other top 20s. She still made enough money to finish 58th on the money list and maintain her full status on the LPGA.

She also played in the International Crown in May but, whereas she had been the MVP in Korea's win in 2018, this week the entire team struggled. They were swept by Australia and Thailand before sweeping Japan, but were not able to gain enough points to make it to the final four for the first time ever.

On the KLPGA, she played at her sponsor's tournament, the KB Star Championship, finishing tied for 54th.

The biggest highlight of her year came at two of the Majors. She made an ace on the 17th hole during round 3 at the year's first Major, the Chevron Championship. Chevron had made a pledge that they would donate to charity a million dollars in the name of the first player who made an ace, so the famously charitable Chun made that happen. A few months later, she made a second ace at a Major, this time in the final round of the US Women's Open at Pebble Beach (on the 5th hole). In Gee high-fived dozens of fans as she walked to collect her ball from the hole.