Sony Open
Talk about KJ Choi no longer focuses on if he is the best Asian golfer of all-time, now people just consider him one of the top golfers in the world.
The 37-year-old went wire-to-wire to win his 7th career title last Sunday at the Sony Open.
Choi entered the final round with a two stroke lead and was tested early. Two par putts of twelve feet and a bogey putt of 8-feet challenged Choi and his lead within the opening four holes. He went on to make all three putts and win by three strokes over Rory Sabbatini.
Never making a birdie until the 18th hole, Choi showed great resilience on a tough, blustery day at Waialae Country Club. He won against the likes of Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh and Sabbatini in the season’s first full-field event, but now a somewhat dubious honor is bestowed upon Choi.
Is he the best golfer without a major?
Some of the candidates:
- Sergio Garcia: came close in 1999 at the PGA Championship opposite El Tigre and should have won last year at Car-nasty. He will win one…eventually.
- Steve Stricker: the reigning back-to-back Comeback Play of the Year already has two top-ten finished this year and seven top-tens in majors, this could be his year.
- Rory Sabbatini: if the fiery South African can let his clubs do more talking than his mouth he should win one.
- Adam Scott: he is clearly leading the pack of outstanding Australian players but will need some more practice competing in majors.
- Colin Montgomerie: sorry Monty. Your best hope is for another Order of Merit trophy.
Regardless of who is the “best,” Choi can hang his hat on the fact that he is included in the conversation. It’s not often a player like John Daly or Rich Beem can come out of nowhere to win a major. For most it takes years of competing in majors to gain the certain focus and mindset which all majors demand. Through his seven career wins and four top-tens in majors, Choi is gaining the confidence one needs to compete against the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in major championships.
This week the PGA Tour is in Palm Desert for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Check in with hookedongolf.com all week for updates and results.
