The British Open buzz in Asia is all about KJ Choi and his great performance so far at Carnoustie.
South Korean Choi has been billed as the Asian most likely to win a Major, and he has certainly shown he can slug it out with the best during his career.
Recently, he won his fifth title on the PGA Tour, and whether or not he goes on to achieve anything at Carnoustie this weekend, there is still a lot Choi can offer in the future.
One man who believes this is Scot Andy Prodger, who once caddied for former Open winner Nick Faldo.
Prodger said on the Asian Tour website:
“KJ is becoming a very, very good golfer. He’s become a better player than before. He changed his swing and his technique is 10-fold better. His mind feels he can win a major. He has the skill to win this tournament, that’s for sure.â€
Ignoring the fact that Tiger Woods has an Asian mother, the continent is still waiting for their first Major winning.
The closest was Taiwan’s Lu Liang Huan, better known as “Mr Luâ€, who battled Lee Trevino over the final holes of the 1971 British Open but finished second by a stroke.
Choi grew up in the island of Wando, where there was no golf. His first passion was powerlifting but he switched to golf when his guru gave him a Jack Nicklaus instructional video.
Apart from Choi, there was little cheer for Asia at Carnoustie.
Indian hope Jeev Milkha Singh missed the cut. His second round of 73 was four strokes better than his first round but his eight-over total of 150 too large to get him through to the weekend.
There was disappointment also for Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing as well. He totalled 153 over two rounds to exit the tournament.
