All the champion's men: Varied group steers Choi towards victory
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- When K.J. Choi first came to the United States in 1999, he made his home at a country club located about 30 minutes north of TPC Sawgrass.
Choi lived there for a year, and he made the trek to Ponte Vedra several times a week to utilize the practice facilities at the TPC and play the Stadium Course. At times it was a humbling experience.
"My level of talent golf-wise wasn't good enough to shoot under par on this course," Choi recalled through his interpretor and manager Michael Yim. "You had the wind factor. The course is long."
On Sunday, though, on this sun-kissed, blustery marathon of a day, Choi survived a one-hole playoff with David Toms and won THE PLAYERS Championship on the same course that once had vexed him so.
Choi finished off a 67 when the third round resumed at 7:45 a.m. and then gutted out a final-round 70 in the PGA TOUR's signature event. He made a 10-footer for birdie at the 17th hole to take the lead, then hung tough in what was just the fourth playoff in PLAYERS history after Toms made a 17-footer for birdie on the final hole.
"For me to shoot under par every day on this course this week, it's like a miracle, to be honest with you," said Choi, who two-putted for par from 42 feet at the 17th to win the playoff. "To have won this tournament now, I couldn't even think about that because my goal was to make the cut.
"And I just want to thank the Lord for giving me this win."
With the victory, the eighth of his career, Choi earned 600 FedExCup points and moved to sixth in the standings. The former weightlifter is the first Korean and Asian-born pro to win THE PLAYERS but the seventh international champion in the last 10 years.
"I'm just very thankful to the Lord," said the devout Korean. "It's Him that allowed me to win this tournament. The fan support was tremendous out there. I think the key thing for me today because it was such a long day, to maintain my body and rhythm, to get enough rest in between, and stay patient and not give up.
"I prayed really hard all through the day, and I think that's why God was able to give me this great gift."
Choi appeared extremely relaxed throughout the draining afternoon, smiling often and frequently high-fiving fans as he walked off greens and toward tees. He even had his own cheering section -- a group of six men from Nashville, Tenn., who have been coming to THE PLAYERS for the last six years and have recently "adopted" Choi, his caddie, Andy Prodger said.
Not unlike Fred Funk's "Punks" who roamed the well-manicured grounds during his 2005 PLAYERS victory, these men were easy to spot with their black-and-white t-shirts that read "Choi's Bois."
"When we starting coming here, we noticed this is a really nice guy that plays the game the way it should be played," said Bobby Page, the vice president of a petroleum products company and the unofficial spokesman of the group. "We just started following him and haven't really cared about following anyone else since."
Choi was overwhelmed by the support. "This is the first time I've ever seen them, for them to fly all the way over just because they like me as a player and to support me the way that they did, I'm very appreciative," he said. "... I didn't want to let them down, so it was a very good thing to see."
| Choi's Bois | |
|
Ask Prodger, the crusty Scotsman who also carried Nick Faldo's bag to two major titles, and he'd be the first to tell you that the "Bois" picked the genuine article in the humble Choi.
"A lot of these golfers should take a lesson from K.J. Choi," Prodger said firmly as he waited for his boss to return from the victory celebration.
Choi likens Prodger to a "wife" or "big brother." Although Prodger says his boss is so even-keeled that "even when it's not a good shot he doesn't get upset," Choi credits the veteran caddy with helping him stay positive.
"When I'm not playing well, he's got a lot of humor," Choi explained. "He cracks a joke and makes me feel better. He's someone that gives me something to dream about. He gives me hope."
Choi needed some of Prodger's wisdom at the 16th hole as the shadows lengthened Sunday afternoon. His drive had found the left side of the fairway on the par-5 and Choi really had no choice but to lay up. With the island 17th and challenging 18th on the horizon, Choi felt like he had squandered a golden opportunity.
"Andy kept saying, hey, don't be negative, just think positive, You never know what's going to happen," recalled Choi. "... He really made me feel comfortable out there."
And as it turns out, Prodger was right. Toms, who was leading by one, went for the green and found the water instead. When the two started the walk toward the 17th tee, they were tied and Choi's confidence was on the rise.
Together with coach Steve Bann, Choi and Prodger have overhauled the Korean's swing. He used to rely on a fade but now Choi is a more well-rounded golfer and it's shown this year with three straight top-10s before Choi came to TPC Sawgrass.
"He's worked hard changing his golf swing from upright over the top to a more rounded swing,' Prodger said. "And now he can hit all the shots he wants to -- right to left, left to right."
He can and he did last week at TPC Sawgrass. And Choi was rewarded with the biggest victory of his career.
Live Essentials
SIRIUS XM RADIO | PGA TOUR Network
Follow your favorite players' every shot. It's free and fully customizable - all in real time.
Launch Shot TrackerLIVE VIDEO SCHEDULE
- Wed
- 5:00 p - 6:30 p
- Thur-Fri
- 9:00 a - 7:00 p
- Sat-Sun
- 12:00 p - 7:00 p
PGATOUR.com is part of Turner Sports Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network 