Let the Fun Begin
From exciting golf to charity fund-raising events, and much more to see and do for the whole family, THE PLAYERS Championship 2012 will offer more than a week of fun and entertainment. BY WARD CLAYTON
K
.J. Choi understood the magnitude and difficulty of winning THE PLAYERS Championship in 2011. The South Korean native was just another international golfer dreaming about the PGA TOUR when he moved to Jacksonville, Fla., more than a decade ago and faced language barriers, financial issues and a new aspect of American golf.
Choi had come to the game relatively late, at age 16, when a high school teacher said golf would suit the son of a farmer and fisherman better than his teenage passion for power lifting. So Choi, aptly nicknamed “Tank” because of a sturdy 5-foot-8, 185-pound frame and an ability to lift 350 pounds, began devouring Jack Nicklaus instructional books and videos and practicing on the only driving range existent at his Wando, South Korea, island home.
Professional golf was soon to follow, and playing in America was the ultimate goal. At age 29, Choi moved his young family to Northeast Florida, where a Korean friend lived. He could not afford to reside near TPC Sawgrass, the home of
TPC LIFE & LEISURE
Above: The 17th green during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship in 2011.
Opposite: The TPC Sawgrass clubhouse.
the PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS, so the Chois settled 30 minutes away at Hidden Hills Country Club, and K.J. progressed into the first Korean player to earn a PGA TOUR card. Still, Choi was drawn to the Ponte Vedra Beach course and its lavish practice facility.
“I came out and practiced at this course every day,” said Choi, now a Houston resident. “But no, that doesn’t make it any easier. My level of golf, talent-wise, wasn’t good enough to shoot par on this course. You had the wind factor, and the course is long. When you practice in Korea, the only practice area was indoor driving ranges. There is no wind.”
The lesson of persistence and patience built up over the years was evident last May when Choi won THE PLAYERS and finally overcame the trying course made even more difficult by a weather-induced marathon Sunday, a jam- packed leaderboard and a sudden-death playoff finale. Choi defeated David Toms on the first sudden-death hole, the par-3 17th, after Toms three-putted.
www.tpc.com
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