Choi Kyung-ju Finishes Fourth

“I would have called it a perfect game.”

“Tank” Choi Kyung-ju (Superior, TaylorMade) finished the day’s match with a big smile after the second round of the JGTO (Japanese Professional Golf Tour) Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (total prize of 200 million yen) that teed off at Japan’s Miyazaki Country Club (par 70) on November 19.

Choi who performed poorly the other day with two above-pars, finished today’s round with four birdies and no bogeys, moving from 17th to 4th (2-under-par 138).

He said, “With the exception of one or two swings, the rest were perfect. Unlike the rain we had yesterday, today I enjoyed the sunny weather that helped me hit further as well as improved my swing.”

Especially, the accuracy of his iron shot on the green reached 89 percent (16 out of 18), opening birdie chances where Choi would place the ball within 5~6 meter radius from the pin.

Choi, who made four-meter uphill birdies in both the second (par 4) and 11th hole (par 3), easily made another one in the 16th hole after placing the ball 40 cm from the pin.

Tiger Woods, who was not able to win a single stroke play tournament this year, finished the round with four birdies and a bogey all the while reducing three of his strokes that added to his 8-under-par 132 total, placing him in first.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com