Ho-sung Choi Bringing Viral Golf Swing To Final Stage Of PGA Tour Champions Q-School

The iconic South Korean player will be attempting to secure his card at TPC Scottsdale's Champions course this week

Hosung Choi of South Korea tees off the first hole during the third round of the Hong Kong Open in 2020
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The iconic swing of Ho-sung Choi will be on show during the final stage of PGA Tour Champions Q-School this week as the South Korean player attempts to secure a full card for 2024.

Long into a notable career across the Japan Tour, the Korean Tour, and the One Asia Tour, Choi rocketed to internet stardom in 2018 when footage of his golf swing went viral on social media. Around six months later, similar footage once again found its way into the public domain after he won his second Japan Golf Tour title at the Casio World Open.

The 50-year-old is known for his animated post-swing movements - even after putting - but it has not affected the quality of his scoring through the years, with Choi managing to secure five professional titles in all.

And hoping to face off against the likes of Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker next year as he looks to add to that tally, Choi is among the 78-man field at TPC Scottsdale's Champions course this week (Tuesday to Friday). To achieve his goal, the man who makes Scottie Scheffler's footwork look orthodox will need to finish in the top five.

Appearances for Choi at high-profile attempts have been few and far between, but the viral sensation did make his PGA Tour debut at the 2019 Pebble Beach Pro-Am - though he failed to make the cut.

Choi will be up against MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz this week - as well as multiple ex-PGA Tour pros - after the legendary Atlanta Braves pitcher managed to reach the final stage of PGA Tour Champions Q-School for the first time at the fourth attempt.

The 55-year-old is under no illusions as to the difficulty of his task, but he remains committed to giving it his best shot.

Smoltz said: “I don’t live in a false reality. This sport is really difficult. I’m not trying to think that this is something that I could do for a whole year or not ... but it’s fun to attempt it.”

Jonny Leighfield
Staff Writer

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. An improving golfer who still classes himself as ‘one of the worst players on the Golf Monthly team’, Jonny enjoys playing as much as he can and is hoping to reach his Handicap goal of 18 at some stage. He attended both the 150th and 151st Opens and is keen to make it an annual pilgrimage.