After a year in which Lydia Ko added three LPGA Tour victories to her resume, bringing her career total to 19, she now has a new title to enjoy in 2023: newlywed.
Ko married fiance Jun Chung at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, South Korea, on December 30th.
Chung was by Ko’s side when she claimed the trophy at the LPGA’s grand finale, the CME Group Championship, which earned Ko a record $2 million — the richest prize in women’s golf.
Ko, 25, wore a stunning white lace, off-the-shoulder gown for her wedding ceremony, while her groom donned a black tuxedo.
Chung is the son of Hyundai Card vice-chairman Chung Tae. Jun Chung went to college in the United States and graduated from California’s Claremont McKenna College with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
How Lydia Ko rediscovered her game — and herself — in 2022
According to Ko, the two started spending time together in 2021. She revealed their engagement last August.
Ko is the current World No. 1, but she wouldn’t be the first player to retire at the top of her game. While still a teenage phenom in 2015, Ko famously announced her intention to retire from professional golf by age 30, and perhaps pursue a career as a psychologist. But ahead of this year’s CME Championship, Ko declined to set a timeline for her retirement.
“When I feel like it is the time for me to retire, I will only know at that time, but I don’t want to leave the game and regret that I should have stopped then rather than trying to keep going and keep going and lose passion for golf,” Ko said. “I would rather retire the thought of, oh, maybe I could have, and then, like, it’s still an exciting thought rather than a tiring thought of I should have done this.
“Sometimes I have a long day at the golf course, and I’m, like, I’m retiring tomorrow. And then some days you have great days, and you think this is why we play,” she continued. “I think sometimes it’s hard to have that when you are doing something for a long period of time. My role model is kind of like Lorena [Ochoa] where she was a little her best. I’m sure if she continued playing, she would have dominated. I’m, like, thank goodness she wasn’t playing when I came on tour. But it’s, like, I want to retire like that and retire while still playing good golf.”
Ko is currently two points shy of another major milestone: eligibility for the LPGA Hall of Fame. That deficit equates to two more regular-season wins, or one major. Given Ko’s current form, it seems highly likely she could secure her entry into the Hall sooner rather than later.
The 2023 LPGA Tour season kicks off with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Fla., on January 19.