“You should eat pork belly and rest well.”
‘Legend’ Choi Kyung-ju (53, SK Telecom) had a rough day. Due to bad weather, the rest of the rounds were played, and the regular rounds were played soon after. Although he had a forced march in a state where he could not adapt to the time difference, “It felt good to play with juniors who had a great flight distance. I was tired, but I did my best.”
Choi Kyung-ju played 25 holes on the second day of the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour SK Telecom Open (total prize money of 1.3 billion won) held at the Pinx Golf Club (par 71, 7326 yards) in Seogwipo, Jeju on the 19th. The 11th hole was played due to the rain and wind the day before, and the remaining 7 holes were played from the early morning of the day. Then, the second round started at 9:30 am and was completed. After recording 20 consecutive pars from the 16th hole (par 5) in the first round, he made his first birdie with about 2m left on his last hole (par 5) and smiled brightly.
He said, “I woke up early because I couldn’t adjust to the jet lag. He was tired, but he did his best,” he said. “I should have sensitively controlled the iron shot because the pin position was difficult, but this part did not work well. After playing 24 holes, I am happy to catch 1 birdie.”
He smiled heartily at his companions’ exciting long-running show. I spent two days in one group with Korean Tour representative long-hitters such as Jeong Chan-min and Kim Bio. He said, “I played Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland in 2014, and there was a difference of 100 yards. I grabbed a 5-iron as they shot sand. Still, I won,” he said. “I watched the shots of my juniors with interest to compete. But it didn’t work”, he acknowledged the limit (?).
The rotation of the body is very important in the golf swing, and the twist is inevitably weaker than that of younger players. During the follow-through, you need to have the strength to stand up with your back to make a wall, and I felt a difference in this as well. Of course, the sound of the ball hitting the club head was also different, so it was judged that it would be difficult to compete with force. However, Choi Kyung-ju said, “It is important to be patient and patient in golf. There are many juniors who will become world-class players if they refine the details, such as pitch selection according to the course and green conditions. So it felt really good,” he said.
I heard that the US Professional Golf (PGA) Tour Qualifying (Q) School, which is resuming this year, has expanded opportunities to advance overseas, including exemption from regional qualifiers for Korean tour players and direct ticket to the final stage for the top-ranked Genesis points. . “Korean golf is now at an indispensable level in the world. Even in the United States, there are colleagues who would like to talk in Korean when sitting at the same table.” I believe that if you attract young people well, you will be able to produce good performances. I hope that the pride and national power of Korea will improve.”스포츠토토
The concept of ‘Legend’ is to do one’s best until the final round, as he is equipped with dignity instead of strength. He said, “If it was about 6-7 under par until the second round, you can paint a picture that goes up on the weekend. However, it would be difficult to aim for the championship because the gap with the leader is too wide,” he said confidently.
Choi Kyung-ju, who announced that he would take a break to recover from fatigue, said, “It is not just a rest. You have to spend time making up for the mistakes made over the past two days, such as irons and putting. The position of the pin for the 3rd round was marked, so we have to prepare for it.”
The most wins (three times), the most appearances (21 times), and the most cutoff passes were broken again this year. He made 21 appearances in the 26th tournament, and from 2008 to the final round for 12 consecutive years. In 2021, as a co-executive chairman, last year, he tied for 7th place, showing off a particularly strong aspect at the SK Telecom Open. Choi Kyung-ju holds the record for the most wins (three) at the SK Telecom Open. He won the tournament in 2003, 2005 and 2008. He is also the most capped player. Choi Kyung-ju has participated in the 20th time this competition has been held for the past 25 years. This is her 21st appearance this year. zzang@sportsseoul.com