South Korean KJ Choi captured his fourth career title on the PGA Tour on Sunday, cruising to a four-shot triumph in the Chrysler Championship.
Choi started the day with a one-shot cushion in the $5,3-million tournament and set the tone early with a 20-foot eagle at the par-five first.
He finished with a four-under-par 67 for a 13-under total of 271 at Innisbrook, where he also won four years ago.
Choi was four strokes clear of Brett Wetterich (66) and Paul Goydos (70).
The 36-year-old picked up $954 000 in first place prize money, jumping to 26th on the money list and earning a spot in next week’s Tour Championship.
Barely two months after starting with a new coach, Steve Bann, the 36-year-old Choi was the steadiest player on a tough course that yielded birdies grudgingly, winning here for the second time.
”This week my driver is very strong and I had a lot of patience,” Choi said.
”Today my swing was very comfortable, I had confidence in my swing and good tempo.”
Caddie Andy Prodger said Choi’s game had improved noticeably since he started working with Bann.
”The first time I met KJ the two things he did very well were hit the ball straight at the pin and control his distance. He’s lost that over the years but now he’s starting to get that back again,” Prodger said.
Choi’s feeling was right on, because he didn’t give anyone a chance after making a 20-foot eagle at the first hole on Sunday to open a three-shot lead. Nobody got closer than two shots after that.
Ernie Els, who teed off just a stroke from the lead, was never a factor after missing a short birdie putt at the first and bogeying the second.
An eagle at the par-five 14th helped the South African salvage a tie for sixth and preserve his position in the Tour Championship, which is restricted to the tour’s top 30 money winners.
If there was little suspense about who would win, there were many subplots with some players battling to finish in the top 30 and others trying just to remain fully exempt for next year by finishing in the top 125.
Goydos, who started the week 160th on the money list, needed to finish fourth to keep his card, but he did even better, vaulting to 97th with his second placing.
”Considering how I played all year, this is a pretty good week,” Goydos said of his best finish in seven years.
Only one player who started the week in the top 125 on the money list dropped out, Bubba Dickerson, who missed the cut and slipped from 125th to 127th. – Sapa-AFP