How does the world of golf know Lydia Ko? Holding #22 in the world rankings, the golfer is undoubtedly known as one of the best. However, not just her 107 career top-10 finishes or 20 career victories so far make this pro unique. There is more to her story, and it revolves around her partner, Jun Chung.

In her third Olympics, Lydia Ko completed her fairy tale journey to be in the LPGA Hall of Fame. The gold medal triumph in Paris was built on the back of sweat, tears, and support from her husband, Jun Chung. She has described Chung as her “good luck charm,” and the LPGA golfer once shared how she met Chung and proposed to his partner first in her own unique “golf” way.

For a guy to pop the question first to his girl is the widely accepted norm, but in the case of Ko, the case was entirely the opposite. Talking on the Henni & Hally: Women with Game podcast in 2022, Ko revealed they first met through mutual friends in October 2020. The New Zealand golfer then mentioned how the couple went about their proposal process.

She said, “It’s very complicated. I proposed to him as well, and then he proposed to me. I was like, ‘Why is it that the guy has got to propose?'” Chung, the son of the vice-chairman and CEO of the prominent Hyundai Card with a family net worth of $14.8 billion according to Forbes, was working at the company’s San Francisco office at that time. Meanwhile, Ko had already made a name for herself in professional golf.

After their first blind date, the couple decided to continue their relationship. After dating for two years, Ko decided to propose to Chung, bringing a touch of golf.

She mentioned, “So I did it very golf-like. I wrote on golf balls, ‘Will you marry me?'” on golf balls. The last one had room for him to circle “yes” or “no”. Chung later reciprocated the gesture on an unsuspecting Ko during their engagement shoot.

Ko said, “He proposed during our engagement shoot. It was really cool. I didn’t expect it. He was going on about numbers, of how many days we’ve known each other and things like that. For a second I was thinking, ‘Why are you throwing numbers at me?’ And then I realised what was going on.”

The couple tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony at the Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, South Korea, on December 30, 2022, as revealed on the Gentle Woman website.

Continuing her discussion on the Women with Game podcast, Ko divulged details of how Chung’s arrival in her life proved to be a game changer for her.

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“For a while, people said he was my good luck charm as I met him just before I won in Hawaii last year. We were hanging out, and I probably did the least amount of practice before an event and I won there,” Ko said.

Ko had gone winless in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, but ended the drought at 2021 LOTTE Championship in Hawaii, having met Chung a few months earlier. “A couple of players said, ‘Oh he must be your good luck charm,’ so I’m taking him in as my good luck charm,” she added about Chung.

Fast forward to the Olympic year, Ko needed one championship win to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame. By the end of 2022, she needed just two more wins to rack up the necessary 27 points needed for induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame. But 2023 proved to be disastrous, with Ko missing four cuts and having no top 30s.

A win followed at the 2024 LPGA event, but another dry run followed. With Ko having given herself a deadline to retire by 30, pressure mounted on her for that one elusive win. That is when her husband and her mother, Hyeon Bong-sook reassured her.

“There were two key people that said, ‘You know what, if it doesn’t happen, it’s OK. You’ve had an unbelievable career and just because you’re in the Hall of Fame, that doesn’t make you any different,” she said. This reassurance worked for Ko, as she fought her way to a two-shot victory at Le Golf National on Saturday to win gold and become the most decorated golfer in the Olympics.

Well, golf fans are well aware of Lydia Ko’s golfing career, but what about her husband Chung? How well do we know him?

What kind of person is Lydia Ko’s husband?

Jun Chung spent his early life at Seoul International School. Following high school, he went to Claremont McKenna College and earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Although he currently manages the finances of the company, Chung’s talents aren’t limited to this. He also knows in fields like UX design, strategy and business development, and app development, and has spent a decent amount of time working as a part-time employee.

Aside from that, Chung also sometimes accompanies her wife to the professional greens. He has attended around 20 golf tournaments, cheering for her. Overall, Chung seems to be the perfect partner for Lydia Ko, and the couple is living happily between San Francisco and Orlando.

What do you think about Lydia Ko’s love life? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!