​Lydia Ko gave her caddie an A+ this week, a noteworthy compliment given that her husband, Jun Chung, was handling bag duties for the first time at the Amundi Evian Championship. “Would it be an A+ for other players? I’m not really sure,” Ko said with a smile. “But obviously he can say some things that only a husband can say, and maybe not Paul for me on a week to week basis.”
Ko aimed to shoot 6 under in the final round, and she surpassed that goal by tying the day’s best score of 64 on Sunday, finishing in a tie for seventh at 13 under overall, six shots behind winner Haeran Ryu. The result marked her best finish on tour since March and followed a T-15 at the KPMG Women’s PGA. Watching Chung caddie gave Ko a renewed appreciation for what her regular looper, Paul Cormack, brings to the bag each week.
When asked about Chung’s best advice this week, Ko described it as more of an ultimatum than guidance. “He was like, ‘Oh, I’m not going to caddie for a wuss,’ so I think that made me be a little bit more kind of aggressive,” she explained. “And then he really didn’t have any bad advice. I told him to like keep up and shut up. That was kind of like my advice at the start of the week. I actually relied on him in green reading as well, which has been the thing I’ve struggled with on these greens the past few years.”
In golf, keep up and shut up is the golden rule for caddies, and Ko’s quip underscored the playful dynamic she shares with Chung. The start of the week brought conversations about money as well; Chung reminded his wife that he was taking vacation days to work for her. Ko earned $242,409 in the fourth major of the season, a reminder of the professional stakes at play. “You should be honored to caddie for a Hall of Famer,” Ko deadpanned, turning the moment into lighthearted humor that punctuated a week of both tension and camaraderie.
The trip to France proved to be a memorable one for Ko and Chung, who obviously enjoyed their time together in Evian. Ko’s performance, her husband’s candid interchange, and the supportive interplay with her primary caddie all combined to create a compelling, entertaining narrative for fans and observers of the LPGA tour. It highlighted not only Ko’s ongoing excellence but also the human side of professional golf—how family ties and professional loyalties can shape a season in meaningful ways.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek and has been repackaged to enhance search visibility while preserving the core details of Ko’s Evian experience. Beth Ann Nichols, a senior writer for Golfweek, covers the LPGA and all facets of women’s golf.