Whew, what a tournament that was. This years THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP had almost everything you could ask for in a big time golf tournament: the drama (sudden death playoff), the surprises (Tiger's WD, massive rainstorm), the great golf, and one of the ultimate golf courses on the PGA Tour. In the midst of all this, soon to be 41 year-old South Korean K.J. Choi, (aka The Tank) took home THE PLAYERS in a playoff over fellow forty-something David Toms in a playoff. Choi took the 1.7 million dollar first place prize at a score of -13, and recording a par on the playoff hole while Toms recorded a bogey. To get to this playoff, clutch golf was necessary. Choi birdied 17 in regulation to take a one shot lead going into 18. David hit a superb drive on 18, only to catch a bad break and have it roll into a divot. It didn't phase the 2001 PGA Champion, however, because he hit an excellent shot onto this massively difficult hole and rolled in a big time birdie to get both players into overtime. For Sawgrass, the first playoff hole is the treacherous 17th hole, where heartbreak or joy can occur (See Paul Goydos and Sergio Garcia in 2008). In this playoff, both hit it safely on the green and got their lag putts within 4 feet. That's where the drama escalated- Toms saw his short putt burn the edge to score a bogey, while Choi rolled his putt in for the victory. With this win, he jumps to 15th in the world and tallies his 8th overall PGA Tour victory. Next, he'll be looking for that elusive major victory.
Highlights of this very exciting final round duel here:
(photo courtesy of nyydailynews.com)
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