K. J. Choi

Professional career

In 1994, Choi turned professional after fulfilling his military obligation.

After establishing his career on the Korean Tour, where he picked up his first professional win in 1995, and the Japan Golf Tour, where he won twice in 1999, Choi qualified for membership of the U.S.-based PGA Tour by finishing tied 35th at the 1999 qualifying tournament. He was the first Korean to earn a PGA Tour card. In his rookie season in 2000 he finished 134th on the money list and had to requalify, but since 2001 he has been a consistent performer on the tour. In 2002 he became the first Korean to win on the PGA Tour at the Compaq Classic of New Orleans, and followed it up with another victory at the Tampa Bay Classic later that year.

In 2003 he won the Linde German Masters on the European Tour, his first and only win to date on the European Tour.

Choi won Jack Nicklaus's Memorial Tournament in 2007. He mentioned on CBS during the AT&T National that he read Jack Nicklaus's "Golf My Way" book early in his golf career, which assisted him in becoming the golfer he is today.

Choi won the first AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. The trophy is a small replica of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC. He made a spectacular sand trap shot on the 17th hole for a birdie to clinch the win over Steve Stricker by 3 shots. Choi was a crowd favorite and threw his golf ball into the crowd after holing his sand shot on the 17th hole.

In August 2007 he reached the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time. In January 2008, Choi won the Sony Open in Hawaii and rose to world number 7. In March 2008, Choi reached fifth place in the rankings.

After his 7th PGA Tour victory at the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii, Choi donated $320,000 of his earnings to the victims' families of a warehouse fire in Seoul, South Korea, which killed over forty people.

Choi won his fourth title on the Asian Tour in Malaysia in 2009 at the Iskandar Johor Open, which was reduced to 3 rounds due to inclement weather.

In May 2011, Choi won The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in a playoff against David Toms. Choi had a one shot lead going down the 18th hole in regulation time, but Toms made birdie while Choi could only chip and putt for a par taking it to a sudden-death playoff. Both players found the green at the first extra hole, the 17th, and then missed with their attempted birdie efforts. Toms however also missed the return four footer for par leaving Choi with a three-foot par putt to seal victory. This to date is the South Korean's biggest PGA Tour victory. Following his win, Choi donated $200,000 to help victims of the tornadoes that ravaged the southeastern United States in April.

In February 2016, Choi finished runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open to Brandt Snedeker, during a Monday finish to the weather disrupted event. This was notable because it was the first time in Choi's PGA Tour career that he did not convert a 54-hole lead or co-lead into a win. He was previously 5 for 5 in converted 54 holes leads to victories. The result moved Choi up 197 places in the world rankings from 334th to 137th. Choi continued his good early season from at the Northern Trust Open where he finished in a tie for fifth, despite holding the co-lead during the final round. This moved Choi to just outside the top 100 at 102nd in the rankings.

In May 2020, Choi turned 50 years of age and qualified for the PGA Tour Champions. In September 2021, Choi won his first tournament on that tour, the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.

In November 2022, Choi visited Vietnam to co-design with golf architect Paul Albanese the Rock Valley Course at Amber Hills Golf & Resort in Bắc Giang province near Hanoi.

At the 2024 Senior Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland, in July 2024, Choi kept the lead he held after both the second and third round and won the tournament, becoming the first South Korean player to win a Senior Major Championship, men or women. After birdies on the 12th and 13th holes in the last round and an eagle on the 14th hole, Choi reached a four-shot-lead. He finally finished two shots ahead of runner-up Richard Green.

Personal life

Choi was born in Wando, South Korea. Before picking up golf, he was a competitive power lifter, being able to squat 350 lb as a 95 lb 13-year-old, thus aptly nicknamed "Tank" by South Koreans. He currently resides in Southlake, Texas, near fellow South Korean PGA Tour player Yang Yong-eun.

He is a devout Christian and member of the Korean United Methodist Church. In December 2023, he was ordained as an elder at Onnuri Community Church. His wedding to his equally devout Christian wife was officiated by Rev. Ha Yong-jo of that church.

Choi played the role of professional golfer T.K. Oh in the Christian sports movie Seven Days in Utopia.

He has donated much of his money to charity through the K.J. Choi Foundation.

With golf becoming an official event at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Choi served as the coach for the South Korean men's golf team.

In his hometown of Wando, a public square named "Choi Kyung-ju Plaza" honors him.

Professional wins (33)

PGA Tour wins (8)

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

European Tour wins (1)

Japan Golf Tour wins (2)

1Co-sanctioned by the Asia Golf Circuit

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (1–0)

Asian Tour wins (6)

1Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour

Asian Tour playoff record (1–0)

Korean Tour wins (17)

1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour

Korean Tour playoff record (2–2)

Other wins (2)

PGA Tour Champions wins (2)

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (0–1)

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut

"T" = tied

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (2003 Open Championship – 2005 PGA)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (six times)

The Players Championship

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Results in World Golf Championships

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play

"T" = Tied

Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Senior major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

Professional

• World Cup (representing South Korea): 1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2013
• Presidents Cup (International Team): 2003 (tie), 2007, 2011

Notes

References

References

1. (25 May 2011). "The Ultimate K.J. Choi Fan Site".
2. McCormack, Mark H.. (2000). "The World of Professional Golf 2000". IMG Publishing.
3. "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 in World Ranking". Official World Golf Ranking.
4. (2009). "European Tour Official Guide 09". [[PGA European Tour]].
5. "Choi gets company on PGA Tour as Korea emerges as world golf power".
6. Kim. Sang hun. link. (22 September 2003)
7. (14 January 2008). "K.J. Choi Wins Wire-to-Wire at the Sony Open in Hawaii and Climbs to World Number 7". Official World Golf Ranking.
8. (15 May 2011). "KJ Choi lands Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass". BBC Sport.
9. (18 May 2011). "K.J. Choi to give $200,000 to relief effort". ESPN.
10. (27 September 2021). "K.J. Choi wins at Pebble Beach to net first Champions title". Malaysia Sun.
11. (10 December 2022). "Huyền thoại châu Á K.J.Choi sẽ có tuyệt phẩm đầu tiên tại Amber Hills Golf".
12. "Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, Results". European Tour.
13. Jourdan, Cameron. (28 July 2024). "K.J. Choi claims first senior major victory at 2024 Senior Open Championship".
14. Nichols, Bill. (8 April 2010). "Since historic win, Korean golfer finds balance with family in Southlake, at Dallas driving range". The Dallas Morning News.
15. "K.J. Choi is a golf god who gives back – CNN Belief Blog". CNN.
16. Song, Kyung Ho. (20 November 2024). "‘남자 골프 선구자’ 최경주, 지난해 장로 임직받아… 다니엘기도회 20일차 간증자로". Christian Daily.