Golf

With legend near, Choi secures win

By Times wires
Published June 4, 2007

DUBLIN, Ohio - Twenty years separated two images of Jack Nicklaus, both meaningful in their own way to K.J. Choi.

Nicklaus was the champion who filled every page of a pictorial instruction book that Choi studied as a teenager in South Korea.

"As I started reading it, I could understand why he was such a great golfer, because all the things that were written really started to make sense, " Choi said. "That's how I really got into golf, by reading the book."

Nicklaus was the tournament host at the Memorial who stood behind the 18th green Sunday with a proud smile and hearty handshake for Choi, who closed with 7-under 65 for a one-shot victory over Ryan Moore.

"Thank you, Jack, " he said.

Choi finished off his string of four birdies on the front nine with a 7-iron he curved around the trees lining the right side of the ninth fairway to within 8 feet.

"A cut shot, Jack-style, " Choi said with a laugh.

Then came a series of pars that were equally significant, all made with clutch putts. Choi took only 12 putts on the back nine, finishing with a 7-foot par save from the bunker on the 16th, a 15-foot par save from the gallery behind the 17th green and a tricky 5-foot save from the bunker on the 18th hole that ultimately gave him his fifth career victory on the PGA Tour.

Considering the host and the history, it was by far his biggest.

"I just feel very honored and very happy to be living in the same time as Jack is living, and to win his tournament is so meaningful to me, " said Choi, who finished at 17-under 271. "I can only think that this was meant to be."

LPGA: Nicole Castrale chased down the world's No. 1 player, beating Lorena Ochoa with a par on the first hole of a playoff at the Ginn Tribute in Mount Pleasant, S.C., for her first tour victory.

"To beat Lorena, yeah, the odds weren't on my side, for sure, " said Castrale, who closed with 1-under 71 to match Ochoa (74) at 9-under 279 and force the playoff.

Seminole's Brittany Lincicome shot 1-over 73 to tie for 53rd at 7-over 295.

CHAMPIONS: Loren Roberts won the Boeing Championship for his first tour victory of the year, closing with 6-under 65 for a three-stroke win over Eduardo Romero in Destin. Roberts finished at 16-under 197.

NATIONWIDE: John Riegger holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole for 4-under 68 and a one-stroke win over B.J. Staten at the LaSalle Bank Open in Glenview, Ill. Riegger finished at 17-under 271 to earn his first victory in 291 starts in PGA Tour-sanctioned events.

FLORIDA OPEN: Travis Hampshire of Wesley Chapel completed a wire-to-wire performance with 1-over 72 at Loblolly Pines in Hobe Sound to win the title. Hampshire finished at 1-over 285, eight shots ahead of Tim Cantwell of Stuart.

EUROPEAN: Richard Sterne made a 7-foot putt on the final hole to win the Wales Open after Bradley Dredge missed a 5-footer that would have forced a playoff. Sterne, whose only other tour victory was at the 2004 Madrid Open, shot 4-under 65 to finish at 13-under 263 in Newport, Wales.

FUTURES: Jenny Gleason of Clearwater shot 1-under 71 to tie for 25th at the Aurora Health Care Championship in Lake Geneva, Wis. She finished at 4-over 220, eight strokes behind winner Sofie Andersson.

[Last modified June 4, 2007, 07:18:16]