Success sends roars home to South Korea

K.J. Choi didn't know it at the time, but the precise moment he lost the 2010 Masters Tournament came rushing over him in one big roar.

The South Korean was charging up the leaderboard Sunday, taking a share of the lead with Phil Mickelson on the 10th hole with his fourth birdie of the day. Choi was still all square as he got settled over his ball for his approach on the 13th hole.

Just then, Mickelson rolled in a birdie putt on the par-3 12th and a roar erupted from the patrons packing Amen Corner.

"When I heard the roar, I pulled back," Choi said. "That's when I hit the bad shot, because I lost my tempo there. I should have just ignored it and swung."

Perhaps hurried to reload for the shot because he and playing partner Tiger Woods had been warned about their pace of play, Choi sailed his iron shot into the back bunker. He hit out fat and three-putted for bogey.

Another bogey on No. 14 dropped him four behind Mickelson and out of the running. He finished tied for fourth.

"My thoughts going into the remaining holes was let's try to finish it off nice and easy," Choi said. "I'm going to carry that feeling with me again this year. It was definitely a memorable experience last year. The whole thing."

It would be a hard experience to forget. In the first major played after fellow South Korean Y.E. Yang defeated Woods head to head to win the 2009 PGA Championship, Choi was in position to surpass his countryman.

Choi ended up playing all four rounds at the Masters with Woods, an unenviable situation considering the media and fan frenzy swirling around Woods' first start after personal scandals forced him to sit out the first three months of the season. But Choi was up to the challenge, and the experience seemed to elevate his game.

"It was an experience I can't forget, because not only was I playing with Tiger all four rounds, but that whole week was a different vibe," he said. "The fans and media were actually pretty professional about treating the players with respect once the round started. In my interviews, I kept being asked how's it going to be playing with Tiger. But when you're inside the ropes, everything just blends in.

"The good thing is the fans respected it and let the players play their game. That's what the media did, too. Once the round started, it was just the three of us playing."

By Sunday, Choi was so comfortable with the environment and in control of his game that he surged to the top of the leaderboard with four birdies in his first 10 holes to get to 12 under.

"K.J. is in front of us and all we see is him bending down and taking his ball out of the hole the whole day," said Jim "Bones" Mackay, Phil Mickelson's caddie. "We know he's got some major, major action."

It was not the first time Choi found himself in a Sunday Masters shootout. His best Augusta finish came in 2004, when he finished third behind Mickelson and Ernie Els.

"I don't want to step ahead and say that Augusta National is my type of course, but when I step on that course the atmosphere and the aura and the way the course is shaped and the way the tree lines are, it reminds me of South Korea," Choi said. "I like fast greens, and the greens (at Augusta) suit my game.

"It's the one major where I've had my most top 10s. I'm fortunate when I go there, and that's why I feel so comfortable in that tournament more than any other major. It may not be a big difference, but the fact that you feel comfortable on the course that you are playing makes a big difference."

Choi said he believes his performance on the heels of Yang's breakthrough PGA win was a cathartic lift for their home country in a time of global economic turmoil.

"Watching sports and their fellow golfers do so well in major tournaments like this, it gives them a chance to relax and breathe and cheer for their own compatriots," he said. "It gives them a sense of relief through sports. By us playing so well, we were able to contribute to the people's motivation, and who knows, maybe give an emotional boost to the economy."

He also believes his performance at Augusta will help build confidence for himself and other Asians to win a green jacket.

"In the past, the mind-set of the Asian players was that when it comes to the Masters, there was a fear factor there, that we can't do it," Choi said. "But now I hope that this gives motivation for the younger players, other players, that they can do it at big tournaments like the Masters."

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 orscott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.