K. J. Choi's Asian record is tied as Matsuyama gets eighth win

Korean golf legend K. J. Choi no longer has the sole honor of being the winningest Asian PGA Tour golfer of all time, with Hideki Matsuyama of Japan now sharing the title after his victory at the Sony Open on Sunday.

Choi Kyung-ju, tees off on the 10th hole of the first round of the KPGA Tour Hyundai Choi Kyung-ju Invitational held at Ferrum Club in Yeo-ju, Gyeonggi on Sep. 9, 2021. [YONHAP]

Korean golf legend K. J. Choi no longer has the sole honor of being the winningest Asian PGA Tour golfer of all time, with Hideki Matsuyama of Japan now sharing the title after his victory at the Sony Open on Sunday.

Matsuyama pulled off a come-from-behind victory on Sunday to win his eighth career PGA TOUR title, tying Choi for the most wins by a golfer from Asia.

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan celebrates with the trophy after winning in a one-hole playoff against Russell Henley of the United States during the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on Sunday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Choi became the most successful golfer in Asia in 2011, when he won his eighth title at the The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in a playoff against David Toms of the United States. That title stood for more than a decade until Matsuyama tied the record on Sunday.

Choi is now playing on both the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions as he qualified for the Champions Tour in May of 2020 after turning 50. Just a year and a half later, Choi won his first Champions Tour title at the PURE Insurance Championship, marking another high point in his storied career.

The history of the king of Korean golf dates back to 2002, when Choi became the first Korean ever to win on the PGA Tour at the Compaq Classic of New Orleans. That victory was quickly followed by another title at the Tampa Bay Classic later that year. The rest is history: Choi piled up a total of eight PGA Tour titles and 10 international titles, most recently at the 2012 CJ Invitational hosted by Choi himself on the KPGA Tour.

After he underwent surgery in 2018 to remove a tumor in his thyroid, Choi missed out on playing golf for eight months but was soon back on the course.

Of the four Koreans who entered the Sony Open on Thursday, Kang Sung-hoon and Im Sung-jae failed to make the cut, while Lee Kyoung-hoon finished tied for 48th and Kim Si-woo finished tied for 55th.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]