Choi Kyung-Joo Ranked as the 12th Likely Winner

“K.J Choi ranked as the 12th likely winner”

The Associated Press (AP) ranked “The Tank,” Choi Kyung-joo, (Superior, Taylormade) in 12th place to win the 104th U.S. Open in a preliminary article for the tournament. This is the first time Choi Kyung-joo has been ranked on the winners’ list of a major league tournament since entering the States four years ago.

Choi Kyung-joo displayed a prudent attitude by giving the statement: “I am extremely careful to not be self-complacent for being ranked third in the Masters. As the U.S. Open boasts a particularly difficult course, it is easy to disgrace oneself at the slightest slip,” and added, “My first aim is to avoid not making the cut, and then to be ranked in the top 20.” Choi Kyung-Joo’s best record was ranking 30 jointly (2002) in the U.S. Open, and in 2001 and 2003 he did not make it into the finals.

After completing a 54-hole practice round on three occasions on June 13, 14, and 16, Choi Kyung-joo predicted that “Shinnecock Hills is extremely difficult. If I hit even pars it looks like I can unconditionally make it into the top 10.” Accompanying his eldest son, Ho-joon (7), Choi Kyung-joo rented a house near the tournament site and controlled his conditions by visiting the market himself and making food with his manager.

--Will There be an Over Par Winning Score?

On June 16, a day before the U.S. Open, the attention of the local press was on who will have the last smile and the best score on the Shinnecock Hills GC, “one of the tour’s most difficult courses.” The New York Times predicted that ‘the rough in Shinnecock Hills is a tomb of balls” and reported, “Once the ball falls onto the rough, it will require at least one penalty shot.“ The New York Times quoted the statement, “I am certain the ball is still hidden in the rough” from the “Golden Bear,” Jack Nicklaus (U.S.), who dropped his 10th hole tee shot into the rough during the 1986 tournament and still has not been able to find it. On the other hand, NBC Golf commentator Jim Mccabe predicted, “The wind ,more than the rough, is a greater variable. The player who can hit an elaborate shot more so than a long shot has the advantage,” and added, “It is possible that an unexpected competitor will win.”