Kyu-Pal Choi had a lot going on in the early 1990s. Not only was he the father of three young children but he had gone into business for himself, starting Hansung International Patent & Law Office. He was also served as the leader of two professional associations. Perhaps for those very reasons, he began playing golf. Mr. Choi played an average of once a month for 10 years before becoming more serious around the turn of the millennium. Depending on the circumstances, he has played an average of one round of golf weekly since then. With the right weather and set of companions, he will play 36 holes in a day.
Given that he is 61 years old, Mr. Choi’s average score of 82 is quite good. Winner of a country club tournament in 2002, he reckons that the use of irons for a variety of shots is the best part of his game. He also has plenty of distance off the tee, but putting—always crucial in competitive golf—is his weakness, if only because he is not inclined to practice it.
On July 11, 2010, there was nothing special about his play over the first five holes at Korea Country Club. Mr. Choi had played that course dozens of times, and was in a foursome with his wife (Ae-Ja Chung) and two cousins (Kyu-Soo Choi and Bong-Il Choi). The sixth hole was 155 meters, par-3, so he pulled a 7-iron out of his bag. He set the ball on the tee, took dead aim and gave it “the treatment,” which is to say he smote it vigorously. The ball flew straight toward the green—in fact, to the center of the green. It bounced once or twice before disappearing from view.
Mr. Choi, whose other avocation is climbing mountains, refuses to ride in a cart. He believes that walking is an integral part of the game. In this case, however, he did not walk. He sprinted toward the green to locate his Titleist 4. It was not on or in the vicinity of the green, so he peered in the cup. There it rested, fairly asking, "Are you looking for me?" Mr. Choi had beaten the odds, which are 12,500 to 1 against an amateur hitting a hole in one.
Needless to say, joyous congratulations ensued. Almost breathlessly, the foursome finished their round. Then, as is custom—and in keeping with his generous nature—he bought drinks and a lavish meal for his wife and cousins at the country club. They later adjourned to a restaurant to celebrate further. As if that were not enough, the following Monday Mr. Choi took his entire staff at the law office to lunch. I am here to tell you, we did not have burgers and fries at Mickey D's.
His ace was soon commemorated in two ways. Mr. Choi had a couple dozen balls imprinted with the facts: “Hole in One / Korea CC, Hole #6 / July 11, 2010 / K. P. Choi.” And his wife and cousins—witnesses, remember, are crucial in validating a hole in one—purchased and presented him with a gold-plated golf ball weighing 37.5 grams and costing about 2 million won.
While Mr. Choi insists that a hole in one is mostly a result of luck and that skill is a secondary issue, I think he is too modest. Who is more likely than a lowly duffer to get his ball close to the hole, a competent golfer or a lowly duffer? He mentions a friend who once scored a hole in one after ricocheting his ball off a tree, but that is a rarity. Let’s say it helps to have skill and luck. Kyu-Pal Choi had both that day.
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