I could feel the age in the grey-gray hair. However, the two eyes were still sharp, and the tanned skin and stocky body were not pushed by any young man.메이저사이트
‘Tank’ Choi Kyung-joo (53) was another protagonist of the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour SK Telecom Open, which just ended at Jeju Pinx GC on the 21st. Despite the bad weather that struck Jeju at the beginning of the tournament and the bad conditions of playing 25 holes a day, he succeeded in passing the cut and set a new record for making the most cuts in the tournament (20), and on the final day of the tournament, he finished in a tie for 19th without losing a stroke. He proved that the legend of Korean golf he creates is still ‘currently in progress’.
Choi Kyung-ju became the first Korean to advance to the PGA Tour and achieved eight victories. Currently, the senior tour, the PGA Champions Tour, and the PGA Tour are running concurrently.
He has pioneered an uncharted territory in Korean golf, but at the age of 53, it is not easy to compete with juniors in their 20s and 30s who are in full strength by walking all 4 rounds. In the first and second rounds, even the ‘bad luck’ (?) of being in a group with the representative long hitters of the Korean Tour overlapped. Jung Chan-min (24) earned the nickname ‘Korea’s Yon Ram’ by golf fans by hitting a long hit of over 350 yards at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last month.
When asked if he was psychologically depressed, he told a story about 2004. “In 2004 or so, I was playing in the same group with Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland. Both guys had over 100 yards more than I did, but I had the best score that day. On their second shot, when they got the sand wedge, “I had to hold a 5-iron. So what? Around the green, it makes no difference. I don’t have to be intimidated by holding a club or two big. I just need to sharpen my weapon.”
In the 1st hole (par 4) of the 1st round of this tournament, Choi Kyung-joo’s play was revealed at once. On the 385-yard long par-4 hole that curves to the right, Kim Bio and Jung Chan-min grabbed the wood and sent 287 yards and 274 yards, respectively. On the other hand, Choi Kyung-ju, who caught the driver, sent 253 yards. It was a situation where he could shake from the tee shot, but he was unmoved.
In this hole, Choi Kyung-ju’s tee shot went into the bunker. I wanted to miss it, but it was a highly strategic choice. While the two juniors aimed for the fairway with woods, Choi Kyung-joo took a risk and took the shortest distance. Although he fell into the bunker, he was the ‘bunker god’ who also shone on the PGA Tour. The second shot landed 2m next to the pin and Choi Kyung-ju got a birdie. Perhaps because he was overwhelmed by his skill, Choi Kyung-joo finished the second round with 1-under par, while the two juniors were greatly pushed back with over-par.
The average drive distance of Kyung-Joo Choi in this tournament was 261 yards. It’s down significantly from his prime, and more than 10 yards from five years ago. However, the fairway landing rate was 76.79%. With a green hit rate of 76.39%, it was still overwhelming in sophistication. Based on this, Choi Kyung-ju made the most cuts and ended the tournament in 19th place, leaving a deep impression on golf fans.
I asked Choi Kyung-ju about the secret to managing his physical strength. He grinned, saying, “It’s a secret indie,” and hinted, “I do 100 squats and 100 push-ups every day, and I always do stretching for 30 minutes.” He picked the pelvis as the key to showing play worthy of an active player even after playing the round four days ago. “You can use carts on the Champions Tour. If you do, your pelvis will become stiff and your body will become unable to digest by walking 18 holes,” he explained.
Now, Kyung-Joo Choi will return to the United States and take on challenges once again at the Champions Tour PGA Championship, Memorial Tournament, and Wisconsin Tournament. The Players Senior Championship is the stage he is striving to win. This is because the winner can go to the ‘fifth major’ Players Championship the following year. The legend created by Choi Kyung-ju is still not over.