Choi Kyung-ju
KJ Choi | |
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Choi Kyung-ju (2012) |
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Personnel | |
Nation: | South Korea |
Nickname: | tank |
Career data | |
Professional since: | 1993 |
Current tour: | PGA TOUR |
Tournament wins: | 20th |
Major wins : | no |
Korean spelling | |
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Hangeul | 최경주 |
Hanja | 崔 京 周 |
Revised Romanization |
Choe Gyeong-ju |
McCune- Reischauer |
Ch'oe Kyŏngju |
Choi Kyung-ju (born May 19, 1970 in Wando , South Korea ) is the most internationally successful male professional golfer in South Korea. He is better known to most golf enthusiasts under the name KJ Choi . Its female counterpart Pak Se-ri is even more successful.
Career
Choi started his career in 1993 on the regional Korea Golf Tour before turning to the Asian Tour , where he celebrated his first victory at the Korean Open in 1996 . He also played the Japan Golf Tour , on which he was twice successful in 1999. In the same year, Choi became the first Korean ever to qualify for the North American PGA TOUR . The first season (2000) he finished 134th in the ranking, so Choi had to qualify again. But since 2001 he has been playing consistently on this tour and in 2002 was able to book his first tournament victory at the Compaq Classic of New Orleans , which he followed in the same year with another at the Tampa Bay Classic . In the following year, Choi also won the European Tour and took the title at the Linde German Masters . In 2007, after two wins, several top placements and more than $ 4.5 million in prize money, he came fifth on the PGA Tour money list.
He played for his country in the WGC World Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2005, and was on the international team of the Presidents Cup in 2003 and 2007. Choi appears in the top 50 of the golf world rankings .
Before his golf career, the son of a rice farmer competed in weightlifting and lifted 170 kilograms as a 13-year-old. That is why it is also called "tank" (English for "tank") in its homeland. He is married, has two children and lives in The Woodlands ( Texas ).
Tournament victories
- 1995 Fantom Open (South Korea)
- 1996 Korean Open ( Asian Tour )
- 1997 Fantom Open, Astra Cup PGA Championship, Pocari Korea Times Open (all South Korea)
- 1999 Ube Kosan Open ( Japan Golf Tour ), Kirin Open (Japan Golf Tour), Kolon Korean Open (Asian Tour)
- 2002 Compaq Classic of New Orleans ( PGA Tour ), Tampa Bay Classic presented by Buick (PGA Tour)
- 2003 Linde German Masters ( European Tour ), SK Telecom Open (Asian Tour)
- 2005 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro (PGA Tour), SK Telecom Open (Asian Tour)
- 2006 Chrysler Championship (PGA Tour)
- 2007 Memorial Tournament, AT&T National (both PGA Tour)
- 2008 Sony Open (PGA Tour), LG Skins Game, SK Telecom Open (Korean Tour)
- 2009 Iskandar Johor Open (Asian Tour)
- 2011 Players Championship (PGA Tour), CJ Invitational (Asian Tour and Korean Tour)
- 2012 CJ Invitational (Asian Tour and Korean Tour)
Results at major championships
Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
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Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T15 | 3 | T33 | CUT | T27 | 41 | CUT | T4 | T8 | CUT |
US Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | T30 | CUT | T31 | T15 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T47 | T47 | CUT | T15 |
Open Championship | CUT | T49 | DNP | DNP | CUT | T22 | T16 | T41 | CUT | T8 | T16 | CUT | CUT | T44 | T39 |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T29 | CUT | T69 | T6 | T40 | T7 | T12 | CUT | T24 | T39 | T39 | T54 |
Tournament | 2013 | 2014 |
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Masters | T46 | T34 |
US Open | T32 | DNP |
Open Championship | T44 | CUT |
PGA Championship | T47 | CUT |
DNP = not participated
CUT = Cut not made
"T" split placement
Green background for victories
Yellow background for top 10
Web links
- Player profile at the PGA Tour (English)
- Tournament results of the last two years on the Official World Golf Ranking Website (English)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Choi, Kyung-ju |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Choi, KJ; 최경주 (Hangeul); 崔 京 周 (Hanja) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | South Korean golfer |
DATE OF BIRTH | May 19, 1970 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Wando , South Korea |