>>Main>>News

First Male Korean Pro-Golf Event Winner!

From the Associated Press, May 6^th 2002

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Millions of South Koreans were up long before sunrise, watching on TV as K.J. Choi became the first golfer from their country to win a PGA Tour event.

President Kim Dae-jung was among the first to congratulate Choi, who won the Compaq Classic in New Orleans by four strokes. Kim expressed hope the golfer ``will continue to work to brighten South Korea`s international image and boost its honor.`

In rare move, rival parties stopped bickering and united in tribute to Choi. ``Your victory proved the tenaciousness and potential of our people,` said Nam Kyung-pil, a spokesman for the main opposition Grand National Party.

Choi`s triumph was a conversation piece in Seoul among morning commuters on Monday, many of whom had gotten up at 4 a.m. to watch the live broadcast on TV. ``K.J. Choi is a real hero who has proved that there is nothing we Koreans can`t do,` said Lee Gang-chun, a 36-year-old trade company employee and avid weekend golfer. South Korean female golfers such as Se Ri Pak, Grace Park and Mi Hyun Kim have made headlines at home and abroad with victories in the LPGA. But this was a first for a South Korean man. ``K.J. Choi has finally done it,` said the front-page headline of Moonhwa Ilbo newspaper. His victory was the lead item on all TV news reports.

Choi was the third Asian to win in PGA history, after Isao Aoki in 1983 and Shigeki Maruyama in 2001, both of Japan, Yonhap news agency said. The 32-yar-old Choi learned golf when he was a high school student on Wando, a small island off South Korea`s southwest coast, although it has no golf course. Choi was an active weightlifter until a teacher encouraged him to switch to golf, saying he had the right physique. He soon began hitting a ball at the island`s only practice range from dawn till dusk.

Choi said he learned golf by watching Jack Nicklaus video tapes and tried to emulate Ian Woosnam and Tom Watson, thinking he resembled them physically. Choi turned pro in 1993 and in 1996-97 became the No. 1 money earner in South Korea. After winning two events in Japan in 1998, he moved to the PGA the next year and passed qualifying tests.

In his first year on the PGA Tour in 2000 he repeatedly failed to make the cut. He again had to qualify for 2001. But by placing within the top 80 in 2001, he earned a berth in 2002. ``This victory came earlier than I initially thought,` Choi told South Korean media after winning in New Orleans. ``When I came to the U.S., I aimed to become a champion in 10 years. ``After a win now, I am entering a new world. I must spur myself to move forward because my fans will expect me to achieve more.`