Reigning Champ Struggles
By Jonathan Sanfilippo
Staff Reporter
There will likely be a new champion at the AT&T National.
Last year's winner, Choi Kyoung-ju of South Korea, appears to be out of contention after tallying a score of even-par 210 through three rounds at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.
Choi's score put him in a tie for 45th place and 10 strokes behind the leader, Tom Pernice of the United States.
Choi shot a two-under 68 in Thursday's first round, followed by 71s on both Friday and Saturday. He carded three bogeys in each of his last two rounds.
Choi, who entered the tournament ranked No. 10 in the world, has struggled recently. He finished outside the top 40 in his each of his previous five PGA Tour events, failing to make the cut three times during that span.