Long before joining the PGA Tour in year 2000,
Choi dreamed he would someday play here, a dream
that would include the sweet smells of the Azaleas
and Dogwoods as he strolled down Magnolia Lane
and making his way around Amen Corner.
It
is no accident that he has been invited to play.
After earning his first and second PGA Tour
victories in 2002 (winning the Compaq Classic
of New Orleans & the Tampa Bay Classic),
he blazed his way up the World Golf ranking
by nearly 150 places last year. The first-time
Masters participant qualified in two areas:
In the past nine events this year, K.J. has
already racked up two Top 5 finishes and made
7 of 9 cuts. However, to K.J.’s standards,
it’s been a bumpy ride to say the least
and his performance is still a work in progress
after recently switching caddies to Vijay Singh’s
former caddie, Paul Fusco. K.J. earlier stated,
‘Paul has caddied at the Masters eight
times so I believe his experience will help
me greatly’.
In
2002, in an effort to thwart the advancement
of equipment technology, Augusta National underwent
a major facelift - lengthening the course by
300 yards by moving the tee boxes back, strategically
planting more trees around the fairways, and
enhancing bunkers. This shouldn’t have
an effect on Choi since it’s his first
time.
For a course that favors long hitters, K.J.
is no slouch when it comes to driving distance,
he currently averages 290 yards. Another positive
in Choi’s defense is his current greens-in-regulation
(GIR) % of 71.1%. The major concern now is his
putting in which he averages 1.821, ranking
a distant 173rd on Tour.
Whatever
happens this week, K.J. will take with him lasting
memories of his first time at The Masters.
