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Choi Kyung-ju holds the trophy after winning the Sony Open golf tournament at the Waialae Country Club on Sunday in Honolulu. Choi won with a 1-over 71, the first Sony Open champion in 41 years with a final round over par./AP
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Korea's Choi Kyung-ju confirmed his status as one of the world's best golfers by winning the PGA Tour Sony Open with a four-round total of 14-under-par 266 at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday local time.
The victory, which came with a purse of US$954,000, was Choi's seventh PGA Tour title since his debut in 2000. Only seven golfers have won more than seven titles since 2000, including the world's top-ranked Tiger Woods and second-ranked Phil Mickelson.
Woods and Mickelson did not participate in the Sony Open, but the 38-year-old Choi did beat other world-class players including third-ranked Steven Stricker and fourth-ranked Jim Furyk.
Moreover, Choi achieved a wire-to-wire victory by maintaining the lead from the first round to the fourth. He is only the third person to lead the event from start to finish since Howard Twitty in 1993 and Paul Azinger in 2000.
Choi also set a personal record by winning a major event at least once every year since 2005, joining Woods (1996-2007), Vijay Singh (2002-2007) and Mickelson (2004-2007), three active players who have achieved the same feat. Choi's victory on Sunday raised his world ranking from ninth to seventh.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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