LOS ANGELES — In Gee Chun’s life changed dramatically when she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club back in 2015.

Chun wasn’t an LPGA Tour member at the time, playing much of her golf on the KLPGA and JLPGA Tours. It was her first-ever appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open and a triumph that saw her rally from four strokes back to beat her fellow Korean Amy Yang by one shot.

Then, as part of her non-member victory, Chun was offered immediate LPGA Tour membership, status she ultimately deferred until the 2016 season. That next year, Chun won her second career major title at The Amundi Evian Championship, collected Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors, secured the Vare Trophy and finished in a tie for 13th at the Rio Olympics, a year-long performance that solidified the young talent’s place as one of the game’s brightest up-and-comers at that time.

In the years since, Chun has only managed to add two tallies to her win column at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship in 2018 and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2022, the latter of which was contested at Congressional Country Club. And even though she hasn’t won more often, Chun has maintained a healthy fan base, a global group that’s comprised of people largely spread across the United States and the Republic of Korea who are fervent in their admiration of Chun, widely known by her nickname “Dumbo.”

But Chun’s competitive schedule has trailed off in recent seasons after her last major triumph in 2022. She only competed in 11 events in 2024, increasing that amount to 18 in 2025. So far in 2026, Chun has teed it up in just seven tournaments in the lead-up to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club, electing to delay the start of her season until March so she could work on rebuilding her swing with her golf coach and former LPGA Tour member, Song Hee Kim, in Vietnam.

At this point in her career, having had very few opportunities to contend in recent years, the question begs. What’s continuing to motivate the 31-year-old after 11 years spent grinding among the best athletes in the world?

For Chun, it’s a fairly simplistic answer.

“I think I never expect to come to the USA for LPGA, but after I won in 2015, my life was changed, everything,” said Chun. “Now I'm here, and I have new friends out here. Sometimes it's hard to be here and be alone because my family and friends are still in Korea, but I already told you like after I work with my new swing and then I got the confidence, that’s a good motivation to keep playing out here. I feel never have like I'm too old.

“So I think I'm in a good mood, and I trust my team, and they help me, and my fans still cheering me. Everything just makes me more willing to keep playing out here.”

So would another Harton S. Semple trophy, an iconic silver cup that’s currently well within Chun’s reach after two rounds in Los Angeles. She opened her week at Riviera with a 1-under 71 and then followed that up with a 3-under 68 that saw her card two bogeys and five birdies, two of which came back-to-back on the par-3 16th and par-5 17th holes.

It’s a 36-hole effort that has put Chun well within the top five on the leaderboard with two rounds remaining in the City of Stars and has put the Korean in prime position to secure her best finish in this major tournament since her out-of-the-blue victory at Lancaster in 2015.

“Before I start the round today, I think I got a lot of pressure on myself. So my stomach was feeling not great,” Chun said. “Then I realized why I made like more pressure on myself. I just am trying to enjoy this week because my swing coach is here and my manager is here. They help me a lot to be in a good mood this week. I'm just trying to trust all the process. We been on like the good road.”

Considering that three of her four LPGA Tour titles have come in major championships, Chun is more than familiar with the patience it takes to have success in the biggest tournaments in women’s golf.

And while it’s been quite some time since she has contended for her fifth career victory, Chun now has an incredible opportunity to write a new chapter in her personal history book over the weekend at one of the most iconic properties in American West Coast golf and will be working hard to quell the butterflies that might start to flutter as she tries conquer one of the greatest tests in all of golf.

“I think just keep playing like the way I've done today,” said Chun when asked about the mindset she’ll take into Saturday and Sunday. “Stick to the game plan, nothing changes. I already said I'm trying to enjoy it this week because I don't want to think about the future to make extra pressure on me. I think that's the key for the weekend.”

In Gee Chun Chasing Second U.S. Women’s Open Victory at Riviera

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