K.J. Choi Joins the Ranks of PGA Elite Group

“I will create a sensation in Hawaii at the beginning of the 2008 season,” K.J. Choi confidently said at a private gathering last year. He even turned down the invitation to the Target World Challenge hosted by the King of Golf, Tiger Woods, in December. “If I do not enter the Tiger Wood’s tournament, people may think I consider myself a big shot. But what is more important for me is preparation for the next season,” Choi said.

Choi did not fail to fulfill his promise.

Choi, who had completed a strict pre-season training, was able to hoist the trophy at his second game of the season, brightening the outlook for this year’s season.

With the victory, he became the third player on the playing list to win tournaments in four consecutive seasons, following Woods (12 straight seasons) and Vijay Singh (six straight seasons). Choi is now on par with Phil Mickelson, who was able to pick up a trophy every year from 2004 to 2007, becoming a member of the true “elite” group.

This was Choi’s first win in January. Until this year, he had all of his six wins in May. A great deal of attention is now being paid on Choi because he was able to land his foot on the right spot from the beginning, casting his existing image as “a slow starter.”

What made him more outstanding was his wire-to-wire victory. With his stable performance, he led all four rounds of the tournament. In addition, thanks to his strong dominance, he was able to set a rare record. He became the first player since the beginning of Sony Open in 1967 to win the tournament after shooting a final round over par.

The average driving distance of his new Nike square driver reached 306.9 yards (9th place), while recording a 75-percent accuracy rate of hitting the greens (4th place). The putting was his chronic weakness but he also showed improvement with an average of 28.3 putts per round (21st place).

The Honolulu Advertiser, a daily newspaper in Hawaii, compared Choi, who was born in Wando Island, South Jeolla Province, to Jang Bo-go, who made his name in Cheonghaejin as the king of the ocean.

kjs0123@donga.com