He went to the wire with Steve Stricker at the 2007 Barclays, the first PGA Tour Playoff event ever and finished fifth on the FedEx Cup points list. However, a simple change to a thicker grip on his putter worked wonders. He hit fairways with the best of them and only an inconsistent putting stroke kept Choi from contending at bigger events. While Choi couldn't find the formula win a major, his PGA Tour victories were at some of the tougher tracks: Muirfield Village, Innisbrook, Congressional and Waialea. The latter victory made him only the second player of Asian descent to win multiple Tour events, after Shigeki Maruyama of Japan. He's been on the Tour to stay since then, never finishing lower than 93rd.Ĭhoi became the first South Korean to win on the PGA Tour in 2002 when he won the events in New Orleans and Palm Harbor.

He struggled at first, missing the cut in nearly half his starts, returned to the qualifying tournament, this time at Bear Lakes in West Palm Beach.Ĭhoi emerged with his Tour card again and in 2001 had five top-10s and finished 65th on the money list. and Asia, and in 1999 won twice in Japan and captured another Korean Open.Ĭhoi earned his Tour card in the 2000 National Qualifying Tournament at PGA West, becoming the first player from South Korea to attain exempt status on the PGA Tour.

Recognizing that the PGA Tour was the place to get the best competition in the world, Choi came to America and rented a small condo at Hidden Hills. But two years later, Choi won the Korean Open. He didn't turn professional until he was 24 years old because of the military duty required of all South Korean males.

There was only one practice area on the entire island, and Choi wore it out. Later, a high school teacher suggested golf and Choi first learned the game by reading Jack Nicklaus instructional books and watching videos of the Golden Bear. The sport sport in which he competed was weight-lifting. and the first South Korean to win the PGA Tour's major championship.įew players have come from more humble beginnings to win at the Stadium Course.Ĭhoi was a farmer's son on the South Korean island of Wando. He was the fourth winner born outside the U.S. Choi continued a trend of international winners at The Players.

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