Table of Biography
K.J. Choi is a professional golfer from South Korea. K.J. Choi has had a successful career in professional golf and has competed in various international tournaments, including the PGA Tour.
Early Life
Born as Choi Kyung-Ju better known as K.J. Choi was born in Wando, South Korea, on the 19th of May 1970. Likewise, he is a South Korean by nationality and belongs to Asian ethnicity. He came under the zodiac sign of Taurus and is currently 53 years old. He was born in a Christian family and is also a member of the Korean United Methodist Church.
He was born to Choi Byung-sun and Seo Sil-rye. Unfortunately, he has not disclosed much about his childhood and family information in front of the media and the public.
Education
He did his early school at a local community school in South Korea. Meanwhile, he enrolled at the Gwangju University.
Professional Career
K.J. Choi turned professional in 1994 and began his career playing on the Asian Tour. He established his career on the Korean Tour, where he won his first professional win in 1995, and the Japan Golf Tour, where he won again in 1999, before qualifying for the PGA Tour in the United States by placing 35th in the 1999 qualifying tournament.
Started his PGA Tour
He became the first Korean to earn a PGA Tour card. In his debut season of 2000, he ended 134th on the money list and had to requalify, but he has been a steady performer on the circuit since 2001. In 2002, he became the first Korean to win on the PGA Tour at the Compaq Classic of New Orleans, and later that year, he won again at the Tampa Bay Classic.
Caption: K.J. Choi hitting the golf ball (Source: Official World Golf Ranking – Player Profile)
He won the Linde German Masters on the European Tour in the year 2003. In 2007, he won Jack Nicklaus’s Memorial Tournament. Moreover, he won the first AT&T National, which Tiger Woods hosted at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.
He made his first appearance in the top ten in the global rankings in August 2007. Moreover, he won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2008, moving him up to world number seven. Additionally, he was ranked fifth in March 2008.
Continued his successful golf career
Following his seventh PGA Tour victory at the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii, he donated$320,000 of his winnings to the families of the victims of a warehouse fire in Seoul, South Korea, which killed over forty people. Similarly, he earned his fourth Asian Tour win in Malaysia in 2009, at the Iskandar Johor Open, which was reduced to three rounds due to bad weather.
In May 2011, he won The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in a playoff over David Toms. Meanwhile, he gave $200,000 to help tornado victims in the southeastern United States. In February 2016, he came in second place to Brandt Snedeker at the Farmers Insurance Open. Despite having the co-lead in the last round, he finished tied for fifth at the Northern Trust Open, continuing his strong start to the season.
He qualified for the PGA Tour Champions in May 2020. In September of 2021, he won his first tournament on that tour, the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.
Moreover, he represented his home country South Korea in the WGC-World Cup in 2002, 2003, and 2005. Similarly, he was also a member of the International Team in the Presidents Cup in 2003, 2007, and 2011.
Net Worth 2024
As per online reports, his net worth is estimated at around $2 million as of 2023. While he has not disclosed his yearly salary and income. He has been able to earn money through his playing career, wins, and brand endorsements. Besides earning, he prefers to donate his money to charities.
Relationship Status
In 1995, K.J. Choi married to exchange vows with Hyunjung Kim. With the marriage, the couple has three kids; Daniel Choi, Amanda Choi, and David Choi.
Caption: K.J. Choi’s family photo (Source: Players Bio)
The family is living happily and they live in Dallas. The professional golfer is keeping himself away from scandals as well as rumours at present.
K.J. Choi – Body Measurements
Caption: K.J. Choi walking in the golf court (Source: www.jacksonville.com)
This South Korean golfer stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 84kg. Meanwhile, he has a pair of dark brown eyes with black hair colour.
Social Media
On his Instagram page ‘@kjchoigolf’ there are over 24.7k followers. Likewise, there are over 3.4k followers on his Twitter page ‘@KJChoi_Golf’ and over 4.7k followers on his Facebook.