Choi to Play Against Woods at Presidents Cup

Choi Kyung-ju, the 37-year-old Korean golfer known as “Tank,” seems to have developed a close relationship with Tiger Woods, the 32-year-old golf superstar, this season. They have often competed with each other in the same matches.

Choi is scheduled to play in the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal GC in Canada on September 28. Woods is also expected to participate. The biannual match is a competition between a United States team and an International Team representing the rest of the world, excluding Europe.

International Team captain Gary Player (South Africa) appointed Choi as Woods’ counterpart in the first round, which is a foursome match (a foursome is a match in which there are two opposing sides and two players on each side. Foursomes usually utilize match play as a system of scoring, and the two partners take turns hitting the ball). All eyes will be on Choi and Nick O`Hern (Australia) as they are expected to tee off in the first round against Woods and Charles Howell III.

International vice captain Ian Baker-Finch said, “Choi and O’Hern are great at hitting the ball straight. They are likely to gain a lot of attention right from the beginning of the match.”

O’Hern defeated Woods twice in the Accenture Match Play Championship and they are close friends.

Earlier this year, Choi received the winner’s cup from Woods when he won the AT&T National, a new PGA tourney sponsored by Woods.

They exchanged jokes while playing in the first round of the BMW Championships held early this month. Choi then smiled by saying that, “I heard Woods has learned some Korean slang from his Korean friends.”

Choi plans to participate in the Target World Challenge sponsored by the Tiger Woods Foundation in December.

kjs0123@donga.com