K.J. Choi
(CHOY)
Height: 5'8" (1.73 m)
Weight: 185 (84 kg)
Age: 51 (May 19, 1970)
Birthplace: Wando, South Korea
Residence: Westlake, Texas
Family:
Wife, Hyunjung Kim; Hohjun "David", Amanda, Daniel
Special Interests:
Movies
Turned Professional:
1994
City plays from:
Dallas, TX, United States
Exempt Status
PGA TOURPast champion beyond 150 in 2020-21 FedExCup (thru 2021-22)
Career Victories
PGA TOUR Victories (8):
2002 (2) Compaq Classic of New Orleans, Tampa Bay Classic presented by Buick. 2005 (1) Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. 2006 (1) Chrysler Championship. 2007 (2) the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley, AT&T National. 2008 (1) Sony Open in Hawaii. 2011 (1) THE PLAYERS Championship.PGA TOUR Champions Victories (1):
2020 (1) PURE Insurance Championship.International Victories (10):
1999 Ube Kosan Open [Jpn].
1999 Kirin Open [Jpn].
2003 S.K. Telecom Open [Asia].
2005 S.K. Telecom Open [Asia].
2009 Iskandar Johor Open [Asia].
2011 CJ Invitational [Asia].
2012 CJ Invitational [Asia].
2003 Linde German Masters [Eur].
Player Statistics
Career Low Round:
62 - 2003 Valero Texas Open (Round 2)Career High FedExCup Rank:
#1 : 2008 FBR OpenCareer High Official World Golf Rank:
#5 : 2008 PODS ChampionshipCareer Largest Paycheck:
$1,710,000 : 2011 THE PLAYERS Championship (Finished 1)National Team Selections
Presidents Cup : 2003, 2007, 2011
World Cup : 1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2013
Career Records
| PGA TOUR (Playoff Record: 1 - 0) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Events | Rounds | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10 | Top 25 | Cuts Made | Cuts Missed | WD | FedExCup Rank | Earnings | |
| Total: | 492 | 1577 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 68 | 149 | 337 | 153 | 3 | $32,803,596 | ||
| 2021 | 21 | 52 | 6 | 15 | 213 | $122,319 | |||||||
| 2020 | 9 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 207 | $180,439 | ||||||
| 2019 | 7 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 210 | $185,952 | |||||
| 2018 | 14 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 188 | $219,405 | |||||
| 2017 | 25 | 66 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 177 | $292,716 | ||||||
| 2016 | 22 | 73 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 8 | 91 | $1,328,448 | ||||
| 2015 | 19 | 62 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 152 | $448,864 | ||||||
| 2014 | 23 | 80 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 6 | 69 | $1,677,848 | ||||
| 2013 | 24 | 84 | 2 | 6 | 20 | 4 | 73 | $973,751 | |||||
| 2012 | 21 | 70 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 5 | 98 | $969,057 | |||||
| 2011 | 22 | 75 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 4 | 11 | $4,434,691 | ||
| 2010 | 22 | 82 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 3 | 15 | $2,199,962 | |||
| 2009 | 22 | 64 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 9 | 101 | $968,506 | ||||
| 2008 | 21 | 70 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 10 | $2,683,442 | ||||
| 2007 | 25 | 85 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 5 | $4,587,859 | ||
| 2006 | 26 | 92 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 4 | $2,376,548 | |||||
| 2005 | 24 | 73 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 5 | 1 | $1,765,374 | ||||
| 2004 | 24 | 82 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 5 | $2,077,775 | |||||
| 2003 | 32 | 106 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 25 | 7 | $1,999,663 | |||||
| 2002 | 27 | 89 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 19 | 8 | $2,204,907 | |||||
| 2001 | 29 | 92 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 10 | $800,326 | ||||||
| 2000 | 30 | 89 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 14 | $305,745 | ||||||
| 1999 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | $31,457 | ||||||||
| 1998 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
| (A) - Amateur | |||||||||||||
Top Tournaments |
|||||||||
| PGA TOUR | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Masters Tournament | PGA Championship | U.S. Open | The Open Championship | WGC-HSBC Champions | WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play | WGC-FedEx St. Jude Inv | WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession | |
| 2017 | CUT | ||||||||
| 2016 | T43 | T22 | |||||||
| 2015 | T42 | ||||||||
| 2014 | T13 | T34 | CUT | CUT | |||||
| 2013 | T48 | T46 | T47 | T32 | T44 | T33 | |||
| 2012 | CUT | CUT | T54 | T15 | T39 | T33 | T8 | T35 | |
| 2011 | 1 (P) | T8 | T39 | CUT | T44 | T16 | T17 | T59 | T39 |
| 2010 | T34 | T4 | T39 | T47 | CUT | T30 | T46 | ||
| 2009 | T71 | CUT | T24 | T47 | CUT | T33 | T45 | T59 | |
| 2008 | CUT | 41 | CUT | CUT | T16 | T5 | T16 | T12 | |
| 2007 | T23 | T27 | T12 | CUT | T8 | T17 | T11 | T19 | |
| 2006 | T16 | CUT | T7 | CUT | CUT | T33 | T22 | T32 | |
| 2005 | CUT | T33 | T40 | T15 | T41 | T33 | T51 | T43 | |
| 2004 | T42 | 3 | T6 | T31 | T16 | T33 | T58 | T57 | |
| 2003 | CUT | T15 | T69 | CUT | T22 | T17 | T53 | T6 | |
| 2002 | T28 | CUT | T30 | CUT | T19 | ||||
| 2001 | T29 | CUT | |||||||
| 1999 | T49 | ||||||||
| 1998 | CUT | ||||||||
| FedExCup Playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Dell Technologies Championship | BMW Championship | TOUR Championship | |
| 2016 | CUT | CUT | ||
| 2014 | T71 | T35 | T63 | |
| 2013 | T68 | T41 | ||
| 2012 | T73 | CUT | ||
| 2011 | T32 | CUT | T10 | T3 |
| 2010 | CUT | T45 | T3 | T7 |
| 2009 | CUT | |||
| 2008 | T12 | T21 | T5 | 9 |
| 2007 | 2 | W/D | T38 | T21 |
Personal
- Interest in golf grew after one of his high school teachers recommended he try the sport. Began studying Jack Nicklaus lesson books and videos and spent long hours hitting practice balls on his island home's only practice range. First Korean to earn a PGA TOUR card.
- Grew up the son of a farmer/fisherman and as a teenage powerlifter earned the nickname "Tank" because he could squat 350 pounds although he weighed a mere 95 pounds. He didn't have the upper-body strength to pursue that sport, so he turned to golf, at age 16.
- After his 2005 victory at the Wyndham Championship, donated $90,000 to the Korean Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, N.C., that he has attended each year he played the tournament.
- Following his win at the 2011 PLAYERS Championship, donated $200,000 to help victims of the tornadoes that ravaged the southeastern United States in April of that year.
- Through the K.J. Choi Foundation (kjchoifoundation.org), donated his $100,000 winnings from the 2013 ISPS Handa World Cup to help with the Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts in the Philippines. The funds, sent to the American Red Cross in conjunction with the Philippines' chapter of the Red Cross, were used to provide relief supplies to the areas worst hit by the typhoon.