From Mom’s Injury to Selling Family Business: In-Gee Chun Reveals Her Saddening Past Before LPGA

In-Gee Chun needs no introduction to the golf world! Hailing from South Korea, her prowess on the green is undeniable. With a remarkable track record boasting four LPGA Tour victories, three of them are major championships! Now the professional golfer will be looking to secure more top-spot finishes this year. However, her journey to become a professional golfer has not been filled with flowers and petals.

Chun faced a lot of hardships in her junior golfing days to finally reach the position she is in today. The LPGA Tour player recently shed light on a few of them, talking primarily about her parents’ sacrifices.

In-Gee Chun’s father left his job to support her

In a recent interview with Handicap 54, the South Korean golfer shared her motivation to succeed as a pro golfer. She turned pro quite early in 2012, at the age of seventeen. However, there were other reasons for her decision. Talking about how she grew up in Korea, she shared, “In Korea, it’s common for one parent from home to give up their full-time job so that their child can pursue their dream of becoming a golfer.” In her family, it was her father who decided to stay home.

Chun’s father supported her in following her full-time golf schedule, leaving her mom to support the entire family financially. Unfortunately, her mom hurt her ankle while working at her restaurant. At this point, In-Gee Chun was focusing completely on junior golf. But the injury to her mom’s ankle worsened day by day. This led to their family selling her mom’s restaurant, as she was not able to continue working there. This whole instance motivated her to do best, and become a professional soon, so she could support her parents financially.

Read More: Years of Being Loved As ‘Dumbo’, LPGA Star In-Gee Chun Augments Her Level in the Golf Community With a Good Deed

“It was a difficult situation back then, but I gained motivation to succeed as a golfer in order to support my parents later on,” said Chun. Facing these hardships early on in her career became a driving factor for the South Korean golfer.

The success story of the South Korean golfer

Now she has flipped the whole situation around as her yearly earnings land between $2.7 million and $3 million! She was nineteenth on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid female athletes in 2022. Furthermore, with sponsors like Nike, Deloitte, Tag Heuer, and many more under her belt, she earns $3 million a year from endorsements alone.

By competing in two events this year—the LPGA Drive-On Championship and the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions—she has earned over $18,000. It was all possible because of the sacrifices her family made for her sake.

Her father left his job to support the family, and her mother had to let go of her restaurant. What are your thoughts on the moving backstory shared by In-Gee Chun? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch this Story | ‘I’m in 100%’: As Lexi Thompson Hints at a Brand-New Career Move, Golf World Expresses Overwhelming Support for the LPGA Superstar