Hye Jin Choi Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

WATCH: Day 1 from the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links

Matt Smith — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 07:11:07 +0000

By Matt Smith
South Korea’s Hye Jin Choi fired a course-record 64 to set the standard on eight-under and lead the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open at the end of the first day at Dundonald Links.

The 22-year-old began her round with two pars before making a bogey on the third hole, but after that she found her rhythm and rolled in an eagle on the fifth.

Choi then made three consecutive birdies on holes seven through nine before adding four more on her back nine including on the 18th to reach eight-under.

Watch all the highlights below

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Ladies European Tour: Hye Jin Choi leads the way from Lydia Ko at Scottish Open on Dundonald Links

Matt Smith — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 04:02:46 +0000

The 22-year-old began her round with two pars before making a bogey on the third hole, but after that she found her rhythm and rolled in an eagle on the fifth.

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Choi then made three consecutive birdies on holes seven through nine before adding four more on her back nine including on the 18th to reach eight-under.

“Today I had really good shots overall,” she said. “But more than my shots, my putter was very good, so I had a lot of chances. I just made birdies when I got the chance and I played well with a good attitude on the rest of my holes.

“I had a lot of birdies. I made some really good putts today, so I just believed in my green-reading and just hit it. That really worked and all the balls hit the middle of hole. That helped me to keep up my confidence.”

Three players are tied for second place just one shot back with France’s Celine Boutier, American Lilia Vu and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko all on seven-under.

It was a bogey-free day for Boutier, who rolled in four birdies on the front nine and three on the back nine and contended with the heavy mid-afternoon rainfall.

“It was a little bit of everything,” said the three-time LET winner. “It was calm all day, but then there was a part in the middle that was really kind of crazy and the wind started picking up, too. Then it was really calm at the end.

“I think my putting was really solid all day. I feel like even when I missed greens and stuff and I had maybe five- or six-footers for par, I would make them. It was really helpful to get my putting today.

“It’s my first time playing this course. I was kind of a little bit unsure what to expect. You just really have to go with the flow and it’s kind of nice because you just don’t have any expectations.”

Ko added: “Overall I thought I played pretty solidly, and I think when I did put myself out of position, I patiently and calmly approached how I needed to go about that hole. I’m happy with the way I started and hopefully I’ll be able to feed off the good momentum for the next few days.”

Two players sit in a share of fifth place with England’s Georgia Hall and South Korea’s Narin An both producing rounds of six-under 66.

And 2018 AIG Women’s Open champion Hall is enjoying being back at a course where she has played well in the past.

“I’m very happy with how I played today. Everything was pretty good, I didn’t really miss a shot and managed to hole some good putts. I’m really happy and enjoying playing links golf again,” said Hall, who won the 2022 Aramco Saudi Ladies International. “It’s proper links. There are really tough holes as well, when you get near the sea on the other side, and I find it fairly easy to visualise shots. There’s a lot of slopes on this course so I chip around and visualise and not just lob everything. You can chip around a lot.”

Seven players are in a tie for seventh place on five-under-par including Germany’s Leonie Harm, France’s Pauline Roussin and 2022 US Women’s Open champion Minjee Lee.

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Lexi Thompson handed slow-play fine immediately after devastating loss at KPMG Women’s PGA

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 07:40:21 +0000

Rob Carr

By Jay Coffin
Lexi Thompson held a two-shot lead during the final round Sunday at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, but made four bogeys in a six-hole stretch at Congressional and ended up one shot behind In Gee Chun, who claimed her third major championship.

WATCH: Highlights from the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Thompson was emotional, not having time yet to process all the costly missed putts in the previous hour, when tournament officials alerted Thompson and playing partner Hye-Jin Choi that they’d been fined $2,000 for slow play.

Choi and Thompson were playing with Chun in the championship’s final grouping on Sunday and the whole group was put on the clock with only two holes remaining.

The issue created instant social media buzz, including from two-time major winner Justin Thomas who tweeted, “I’m all for helping slow play, but putting those ladies on the clock with 2 holes left trying to win a major seems like a good read the room situation and don’t put them on the clock.”

I’m all for helping slow play, but putting those ladies on the clock with 2 holes left trying to win a major seems like a good read the room situation and don’t put them on the clock ??‍

— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) June 26, 2022

Choi was not in the mix at the time and stumbled to a 76 and tied for fifth place with four others. Thompson tied for second place with US Women’s Open winner Minjee Lee.

Last year at the US Women’s Open at The Olympic Club Thompson lost a five-shot lead during the final round and finished one shot out of a playoff between Yuka Saso and Nasa Hataoka. She’s had nine runner-up finishes since her last LPGA victory, the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic.

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Thomas reigns, Garcia wins his own event, and a rules snafu for the ages: What you missed this weekend

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 04:58:58 +0000

(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

By Joel Beall

Welcome to the Dew Sweeper, your one-stop shop to catch up on the weekend action from the golf world. From the professional tours, trending news, social media headlines and upcoming events, here’s every golf-related thing you need to know for the morning of Oct. 23,

Justin Thomas, still good at golf

The mark of a player is cobbling together a score when they don’t have their best. A distinction Justin Thomas has rightfully earned.

The reigning Player of the Year turned in an opening-round 63 at the CJ Cup in South Korea, yet—for most of the weekend, and especially on Sunday—Thomas appeared to be running on fumes. (Not that you can blame the guy: 2017’s been a bit of a busy campaign.) That he managed to find himself in a playoff—a battle he won over Marc Leishman—is a testament to the capacity, firepower and fortitude of the 24-year-old.

“I am so excited,” Thomas said in victory after notching a birdie on the second sudden death hole, “… to not do anything. I officially have nothing left.”

For Thomas, who at one point was caught by cameras saying “My legs feel like jelly,” it was the sixth victory in the calendar year, one that saw the Alabama product transform from fledgling entity to marquee star. He’s set to shut it down for the foreseeable future, a vacation well deserved.

But you have to feel for Thomas’ fellow tour pros. If the cat’s reached the point where he can do that with the gauge on “E,” who know what prospects are ahead with a full tank of gas.

JUNG YEON-JE

Golf Channel loses TV feed

The star presence of Thomas was a shot of vitality desperately needed for the overseas, inaugural CJ Cup. Alas, the playoff unfortunately went unwatched by the masses. Literally.

Technical difficulties prevented the Golf Channel from airing the live broadcast of the Thomas-Leishman showdown, instead re-running play from regulation. When the issue was fixed, the cameras showed Thomas giving his post-championship speech.

“The satellite path of the television feed provided by tournament organizers stopped feeding at 2:30 a.m. ET. Golf Channel personnel immediately alerted the tournament production group to the problem. We apologize to our loyal viewers who stayed up late to watch coverage live.”

In terms of scale, it’s not exactly the Heidi Bowl. Still, if you’re going to pull the plug on live coverage, at least show the normal mid-night Golf Channel programming:

Sergio, not a welcoming guest

Certain duties are expected of a host. Warmly greet those in attendance. Set up a friendly environment. Make sure everyone is having fun. Sergio Garcia is not that host.

With a final-round four-under 67, Garcia picked up his 14th European Tour title at the Andalucia Masters presented by…the Sergio Garcia Foundation. His 12-under 272 total bested Joost Luiten by a stroke, with the rest of the field struggling at the grueling Valderrama Golf Club.

Warren Little

“You can never relax at Valderrama,” said Garcia, who calls the track one of his favorites. “You have to love this place. You have to stay patient. Bad breaks have to be dealt with. So I just tried to stay patient and make sure any bad moments didn’t affect me too much. And I made a couple of key putts coming in.”

Makes sense. Sergio might have been the host. But a man has to protect his turf.

While his 2017 will be remembered for finally capturing that elusive major, the dividends since Augusta National have been few and far between for Garcia. Nevertheless, the win vaulted him up to second in the Euro Tour’s Race to Dubai behind Tommy Fleetwood, with just four events left on the postseason schedule.

Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images

Commissioner resigns over rules debacle

Move over, Dustin Johnson and Lexi Thompson. This rules snafu is the stuff of legend.

At the KLPGA’s KB Financial Star Championship, Hye-Jin Choi and You-Na Park received two-stroke penalties for marking balls on what they thought was a putting green and picked them up, only to discover the surface was not deemed part of the green. However, upon further review, it was determined four other players throughout the day had done the same thing and already signed their cards.

Initially, the tournament committee decided to rescind the penalties of Choi and Park, a decision that led to a protest from the rest of the field, with players threatening to withdraw. The KLPGA countered with a puzzling response: wiping out all scores from the first round.

“We deeply apologize to players, golf fans and sponsors who helped organize the tournament,” the KLPGA said in a statement. “We will do better to meet the expectations of those who love the KLPGA and will do our best to prevent similar cases from happening again.”

It was such a disaster that the KLPGA’s lead rules official, Jin-Ha Choi, resigned over the matter.

Personally, I’m rooting for such a situation this season on the PGA Tour. If only for the ensuing takedown from Brandel Chamblee. It would be glorious.

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Creamer gets surgery

Paula Creamer announced via Instagram that she had surgery on her left wrist in Houston, and that she will not compete again until 2018. The former U.S. Women’s Open champion hopes the procedure will help remedy an ailment that has nagged at her for two years.

It’s a bit of a drastic move; Creamer’s injury is one usually treated with rest and non-surgical options. Sadly, Creamer and her team felt the issue was so severe that an operation was warranted.

Creamer, who joined the tour in 2005, has won 10 times in her career, most recently at the 2014 HSBC Women’s Champions. Though she struggled in 2017—she is currently ranked No. 126 in the world—she turned in an impressive showing at the 2017 U.S. Solheim Cup team as an alternate after Jessica Korda had to withdraw due to injury. Creamer went 3-1 in her matches to contribute to the winning U.S. team.

According to the Houston Methodist Hospital orthopedic department, patients who get intersection syndrome surgery typically achieve full recovery after six to eight weeks of physical therapy.

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Entire round wiped out at Korean LPGA event because of bizarre rules controversy

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 05:31:44 +0000

(Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)

By Ryan Herrington

As if the 2017 golf season wasn’t already filled with a myriad of bizarre rules controversies, there is another dandy to add to the list, one that apparent has cost the job of a top official with the Korean LPGA Tour.

The KLPGA issued an apology on Friday over an incident at this week’s KB Financial Star Championship, when difficult distinguishing between the green and the fringe on several holes at Black Stone Golf Club in Icheon, South Korea, ultimately resulted in all first-round scores in the tournament having to be thrown out.

According to a Reuters report, the problem started when two players, Hye-Jin Choi and You-Na Park received two-stroke penalties after finishing their rounds because they marked their balls during the round on what they thought was the putting green and picked them up, but they were actually just off the green. Choi (above) had shot six-under 66 and was the co-leader before the penalty was assessed.

Later in the day, however, KLPGA officials realized that four other players had done the same thing, but already signed their card. In trying to figure out what to do, the tournament committee initially decided to rescind the penalty to Choi and Park and not impose a penalty on the other four players.

That decision did not sit well with many players in the field, who held a meeting on Thursday. According to Reuters, some threatened to withdraw from the tournament if the penalties were removed while others said they would do the same if the penalties remained.

On Friday, KLPGA officials talked convened with players and decided to wipe out all first-round scores.

Reuters also reported that the KLPGA’s lead rules official, Jin-Ha Choi, resigned over the matter.

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How an amateur nearly stole the U.S. Women’s Open title

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 13:15:21 +0000

Hye-Jin Choi watches her tee shot on the 13th hole during the final round of the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

By Ryan Herrington

For 69 holes at the 72nd U.S. Women’s Open, a teenager showed the poise of an LPGA veteran as amateur Hye-Jin Choi chased history at Trump National Bedminster. The 17-year-old South Korea native, a rising star just two weeks removed from a victory on the Korean LPGA Tour, was trying to become the youngest ever winner of a women’s major championship and just the second amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open title.

But come the 16th tee on Sunday—in the shadow of a clubhouse buzzing with spectators and not far removed from the private box where the president of the United States was watching—Choi reverted back to the teenager, if for only one swing. Facing a 145-yard shot to clear the water on the tricky par 3, Choi was between clubs. She decided to use a 7-iron and tried to “squeeze” a little more out of it. Rather than fly farther, her ball flared to the right and landed with a disappointing splash.

Did the moment get to Choi? Perhaps. But the misstep can’t undo the impressive play that came before it, or after. With a double-bogey 5 on the 16th, Choi knew her chances of winning were essentially over, but she didn’t crumble. Instead she made a birdie on the 18th, to close with a one-under 71 and finished as the runner-up, two strokes back of winner Sung Hyun Park.

Choi’s performance was still historic. Her nine-under 279 is the lowest score ever shot by an amateur in the U.S. Women’s Open, breaking Grace Park’s previous record set in 1999 by four strokes. And Choi also became the fourth amateur to finish alone in second in the Open, joining Betsy Rawls (1950), Barbara McIntire (1956) and Jenny Chuasiriporn (1998). The most recent amateurs to finish in a tie for second were Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lang in 2005. Not bad for somebody who admitted she was just happy to be in the field.

“It was excellent just to be playing,” said Choi, who earned her spot at Trump National by winning a 36-hole qualifier back in South Korea by seven strokes. “And to get to be runner-up, it is an unbelievably joyous thing for me.”

Hye-Jin Choi hits her tee shot on the 16th hole during the final round of the 2917 U.S. Women’s Open. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

A year ago, Choi was also the low amateur in the U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle, although with a much more modest T-38 finish. Since then, she has added to her resume by winning the Canadian Women’s Amateur and the Australian Ladies Amateur. She also made the cut in two starts in LPGA Tour events, finishing T-7 at the ISPS Handa Australian Open.

“She’s a very good player,” said Shanshan Feng, who played with Choi in the day’s final pairing and shot a 75 to Choi’s 71. “I didn’t see her as an amateur. … This is the U.S. Open and she is an amateur, but she wanted to win. I could tell, she was going for it every time.”

Indeed, the remarkable part of Choi’s game was how strong it appeared in every aspect. For the week, she ranked T-13 in fairways hit, T-5 in greens in regulation, T-8 in putts and 12th in driving distance.

The question now for Choi is what’s next. Her finish at Trump National gets her exemptions into two other USGA events: the U.S. Girls’ Junior, which starts next week, and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in August. It’s unclear whether she’ll remain in the U.S. to play in either of these events.

Meanwhile, it would seem that Choi isn’t long for being an amateur. Her performance in professional events on the KLPGA and LPGA suggests Q School is likely to be in her near future. Passing up the $540,000 second-place prize money will do that to you.

“It would be nice if I could get the money, but I think my primary goal was to come here and compete,” Choi said. “So, to me, getting this second place actually means more, and it’s a greater honor for me.”

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Shanshan Feng takes two-stroke lead into weekend at Trump National Bedminster

Golf Digest Middle East — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 05:57:41 +0000

By Keely Levins

The rain at the U.S. Women’s Open finally stopped late Friday, but the course remained wet and playing long. Shanshan Feng played in the afternoon wave and had three birdies and one bogey on her way to a second-round 70 that gave her a two-stroke lead at eight-under-par 136 at Trump National Bedminster.

There is a three-way tie for second at six under among Jeongeun Lee, Amy Yang and Hye Jin Choi, an amateur from South Korea. This is Lee’s first time in the United States, and this is Choi’s second U.S. Women’s Open.

“I just did really well for the first two rounds, and I think that I should just keep doing the same thing for the weekend,” said Feng who won her fourth Omega Dubai Ladies Masters title last December. “So I’m not going to make any changes. I’m just going to be myself.”

There’s a decade’s worth of age difference amongst the top four players. Both Feng and Yang are 27, while Choi is just 17.

Choi, who was the low amateur in the 2016 Women’s Open when she finished T-38 at CordeValle, had four straight birdies on her ninth through 12th holes to get to eight under and a share of the lead. Bogeys on her 16th and 17th holes dropped her back to six under. Choi was the medalist in the qualifying site in Korea in June and has won a KLPGA event earlier this year.

“Last year’s experience gave me a lot more confidence than my first event and the results were pretty good, so I feel a lot better this year,” Choi said.

Choi’s six-under score is the second lowest 36-hole total in a Women’s Open by an amateur. In 1999 at Old Waverly, Grace Park was nine under at the halfway mark. The last time an amateur was this high on the leader board after 36 holes was Michelle Wie, who was T-2 in 2005 at Cherry Hills.

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