Why is U.S. Women's Open winner In Gee Chun nicknamed Dumbo?
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Why is U.S. Women’s Open winner In Gee Chun nicknamed Dumbo?

In Gee Chun nicknamed Dumbo
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In Gee Chun's U.S. Women's Open may have come as a surprise to casual golf fans, but the 20-year-old South Korean is the 20th-ranked player in the world and is no slouch.

However, since Chun is just the fourth player ever to win the U.S. Women's Open in her first try, you might not know too much about her. It might be odd to know, then, that Chun's nickname is "Dumbo." That's not something lost in translation, but rather a nickname given to her by her coach, Won Park.

"She's got elephant ears," said caddie Dean Herden to ESPN. "If somebody is opening a bottle 20 yards away, she'll hear it. You noticed she backed off a lot today."

Chun, whose fan club is called "The Flying Dumbos," actually has a Dumbo logo/outline on her bag, and she really was happy when fans shouted out the nickname at her at Lancaster Country Club.

"Everyone calls me Dumbo," said Chun after her one-shot win over Amy Yang. "When I came over here, some American fans recognized the nickname and called me Dumbo. Some even shouted it, 'Let's go, Dumbo.' That has really made me enjoy the game."

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