KJ Looks to End Title Drought

By Kang Seung-woo

Staff Reporter

Coming off a strong performance at the Masters, Choi Kyoung-ju is looking to snap his winless streak, which has lasted for more than two years.

The 39-year-old South Korean will play this week in the $5.7 million Verizon Heritage tournament on Hilton Head Island, S.C., which will include high-profile players such as Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas and Stewart Cink.

Despite the large number of supporters and the buzz surrounding Tiger Woods, who played with Choi all four days, at the Masters, the Korean put up solid numbers and ended with an 11-under 277 to finish tied for fourth with Woods, five strokes behind winner Phil Mickelson. Choi's solid play has him as one of the early favorites for the title this weekend.

When he last triumphed at the Sony Open in January 2008, the seventh title of his career, he was cruising on the PGA Tour as the most successful Korean golfer.

However, trouble hit Choi in the same year, when he tried to lose weight with an eye on career longevity. A rapid drop in kilograms negatively influenced his shots.

As a result, he missed the cut nine times in 22 starts in 2009, finishing in the top-10 just once at the Northern Trust Open, where he tied for third.

However, the revamped Choi appears to have found his rhythm this season, never missing the cut in all eight tournaments and having six top-25 finishes.

He has already surpassed his last year's winnings total of $967,000, earning $1.26 million, and his scoring average of 69.25 is second only behind Anthony Kim's 69.19.

The PGA Tour Web site has ranked him second behind Matt Kuchar, Choi's first-round partner of the Masters, in the power rankings for the upcoming event.

Due to the narrow fairways and small greens of Harbour Town Golf Links, the venue for the tournament, Choi has an edge in that he sits eighth in greens in regulation (GIR) percentage at 72.02.

The field will include two other Koreans - Charlie Wi and An Byeong-hun.

Meanwhile, Yang Yong-eun will compete at the Volvo China Open in Suzhou, China from Thursday.

After the European Tour event, the 38-year-old, who tied for eighth at the Masters, will visit his native Jeju Island for the Ballantine's Championship, the only European Tour tournament to be held in Korea.