Choi Cherishes Memories of “Pebble Beeechy”
Korean Star Leaves With Legions of New Fans
The night before his final round began at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am, Ho Sung Choi gathered for one last group dinner with his playing partners. The trio of Choi, PGA TOUR player Jerry Kelly and N.F.L. quarterback Aaron Rodgers had no doubt developed a strong connection over their three days together in California. And to celebrate the occasion, Choi gifted each of his newfound friends a head cover for their golf clubs featuring his unique logo.
It was but one of several moments that Choi says he will cherish forever, in this, his PGA TOUR debut. The Korean star earned his way into the field on a sponsor’s exemption, and though he missed the cut, left with more fans, and friends, than he arrived with. “They were such great people,” Choi said. “Even when I had a bad shot or was struggling, they encouraged me and gave me words of advice out there. I
tried to give them a gift to remind them of me and I thought a head cover of my logo would be the best thing to do.”
Choi shot a third-round 77, missing the cut at 9-over 224. He may have struggled all week to get a read on the greens, but it didn’t stop the hundreds of fans from cheering him on. The 45-year-old played in front of by far, his largest crowd of the tournament on Saturday. He often exchanged cheers with the gallery after his better shots and posed for pictures while waiting his turn to swing. He developed perhaps the best rapport with Rodgers, an American sports icon who leads the Green Bay Packers. The two frequently shared words of support, and Choi even mimicked Rodgers’ signature celebration dance a handful of times (doing so by pulling his arms to the side of his hips, then letting out a big thrust).
Rodgers’ girlfriend, professional race car driver Danica Patrick, had several sweatshirts made that said “PEBBLE BEECHY,” a play on Choi’s commitment video to the tournament that went viral on social media. Choi said he was honored by the gesture. “It was fantastic. He’s just a super guy,” Rodgers said. “We had him over to house last night, him and his family. We had a blast. There was obviously a bit lost in translation with the language barrier, but we had his translator there and we just had a blast.”
“I think it’s great for the tournament and for golf,” he continued. “Obviously, his swing gets a lot of attention, but he’s a good player. It was tough conditions out there. Him and Jerry both struggled today. But he’s a super guy and it was a lot of fun to play with him.”
Choi was even-par when he made the turn but unraveled with four bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine. He did manage to roll in a trio of birdies, including from 21 feet on No. 6 and 17 feet on No. 14, but trouble with the putter once again led to his undoing. The most troublesome occurred on the 17th, where he four-putted despite initially having a 5-foot par opportunity. “I learned a lot from this experience, but I think the biggest takeaway was the greens,” he said. “They were so difficult to read and I wasn’t getting used to them. Even on the 17th hole, I had a short putt maybe 30 to 40 centimeters, and I just blew it by. So it was hard getting adjusted to that.”
Choi flew out of Los Angeles to spend four days in Guam for a promotional shoot, before returning to Korea not yet knowing what tournament he was going to play next. For now, he’s just fine holding on to the memories he made in his first trip to America, and his first time on a PGA TOUR leaderboard. He hopes it’s not the last. “I’m so thankful for that and I’m so appreciative of the great memories that we made this week,” Choi said. “I felt like I had the best pairing.”
“If I’m lucky enough to get an invite,” he added, “I’ll be happy to play in any other tournament.”