Chun’s motoring now on route 66
Korean star has career grand slam in her sights
IN GEE CHUN took a step closer to realising her dream of a career grand slam when the Korean edged ahead of the pack at the AIG Women’s Open yesterday.
The player known as ‘Dumbo’ has already won three of the five women’s majors and she showed exactly why by taking route 66 to eight-under-par.
Chun, 27, takes a one-shot lead into the weekend at Muirfield after South African Ashleigh Buhai bogeyed the last to miss out on a share of top spot.
Instead, Buhai had to settle for joint second with Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom after the pair carded matching 65s. Scotland’s Louise Duncan, in joint-third after the first round, slipped back to joint-17th after a two-over 73.
Chun has never managed to finish higher than equal seventh in the AIG Open. But she’s never hidden her desire to complete the full set of majors, admitting: ‘When I was growing up I was always thinking about a career grand slam. I think it’s every player’s dream and it is my goal.’
Chun, the reigning Women’s PGA champion and past winner of both the US Open and the Evian Championship, even has a fan club in her homeland called The Flying Dumbos after her coach gave her the nickname because of her determined mindset.
She had been hoping to keep a bogey off her card yesterday so she could dine out at her caddie’s expense.
Chun explained: ‘Before the start of the tournament, my caddie Dean decided that, if I have a bogey-free round, he’s going to pay for dinner and pay me $100. It’s fun, but it puts me in the right mindset to play this course.’
Despite her slip at the last, Buhai said: ‘I am super chuffed with how I played. I stuck with my processes, and the outcome took care of itself.
‘I know Ernie (Els) won here and when we were playing our practice round, I was YouTubing his famous bunker shot (at 13) and trying to do it.
‘I haven’t spoken to him recently but I’m living in Florida now and going to play with him sometime. He was my hero growing up.’
Duncan looked to be in trouble in only her second professional event when the 22-year-old from West Kilbride ran up three consecutive bogeys from the sixth after setting out just two off the lead.
But she steadied the ship with four straight pars before regaining a shot to add to two earlier birdies and eventually sign for 73 to sit on two-under at halfway.
‘It was a bit of a grind but I’m happy with the score,’ she said. ‘Two-under for two rounds in Muirfield’s testing conditions is quite good.
‘I had a wee bit of a tough time going around 6, 7, 8 and I think my caddie Dean (Robertson) could tell I was getting a bit hot-headed.
‘He tells me to stop being an idiot and just calm down and take one shot at a time. That’s a cliche — but it’s what you have to do out around that tough golf course.’
France’s Celine Boutier was again a model of consistency after finishing runner-up at last week’s Trust Scottish Women’s Open.
The Solheim Cup star added a 70 to her opening 68 to stroll through to the weekend on four-under.
Boutier, 28, bagged her share of birdies but she pointed out: ‘I also had a decent amount of par saves after hitting a few too many bunkers off the tees, although, in general, you’re not going to hit every green here because the course is playing long.
‘I feel like I had to scramble a little bit more but it’s very gratifying to be in contention on the weekend of a major.’