K. J. Choi 최경주 |
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Choi in June 2011
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Personal information | |
Full name | Choi Kyung-Ju |
Nickname | Tank, Hawkeye |
Born |
Wando, South Korea |
19 May 1970
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
Nationality | South Korea |
Residence | Dallas, Texas |
Spouse | Hyunjung Kim |
Children | David, Amanda, Daniel |
Career | |
College | Gwangju University |
Turned professional | 1994 |
Current tour(s) |
PGA Tour (joined 2000) |
Former tour(s) |
Asian Tour Japan Golf Tour |
Professional wins | 22 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 8 |
European Tour | 1 |
Japan Golf Tour | 2 |
Asian Tour | 6 |
Other | 5 |
Best results in major championships |
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Masters Tournament | 3rd: 2004 |
U.S. Open | T15: 2005, 2012 |
The Open Championship | T8: 2007 |
PGA Championship | T6: 2004 |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 최경주 |
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Hanja | 崔京周 |
Revised Romanization | Choe Gyeong-ju |
McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Kyŏng-ju |
Choi Kyung-Ju (Korean: 최경주, pronounced [tɕʰwe ɡjʌŋdʑu]; born 19 May 1970), commonly known as K. J. Choi, is a South Korean professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. Since turning pro in 1994, he has won a total of twenty professional golf tournaments worldwide, including eight on the PGA Tour, making him Asia's most successful golfer. His most notable victory came at the 2011 Players Championship, and he has spent 40 weeks in the top-10 of the world rankings.
Choi turned professional in 1994 after fulfilling his military obligation.
After establishing his career on the Asian Tour, where he picked up his first professional win at the 1996 Korean Open, 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.