On the tee: player's pick

Golf Digest, Dec, 2003 by Ron Kaspriske

K.J. CHOI AGE: 33 HOME: THE WOODLANDS, TEX.

Afraid he might accidentally say the wrong thing, K.J. Choi, a native of Wando, South Korea, relies on interpreters when doing interviews. But there is one English word he needs no help understanding--trailblazer.

"I am like a trailblazer," says Choi, who in succession has become the first Korean to earn a PGA Tour card, the first to win a PGA Tour event and the first to win a European tour event. Next up? Choi will be the first Korean to play in the Presidents Cup, Nov. 20-23 at The Links at Fancourt in George, South Africa.

Choi narrowly missed an automatic berth into the Presidents Cup. Instead, he and South African Tim Clark joined the International team as Gary Player's captain's picks. Player cited Choi's two victories in 2002 and a second in the Mercedes Championships to start the 2003 season (he shot a tournament-record 62 in the third round) as proof he was worthy of the selection.

But to reinforce Player's decision, Choi won the first European tour event he entered, shooting 26 under par at the Linde German Masters in September.

With the 5-feet-8, 185-pound frame of a cruiserweight and a tough-guy stare, Choi may seem like the strong, silent type. Then he cracks a smile and explains that his intensity lasts only as long as there's golf to be played. "If people think of me as intense, that's good," Choi says. "It isn't good for a professional golfer to look weak."