JOHOR BAHRU, 26 October 2009 – Korean star player and Asian Tour Honorary member K.J Choi triumphed as champion at the USD1million Iskandar Johor Open 2009 last weekend.

Choi posted a third round score of eight-under-par 64 for a three-day total of 20-under-par 196 at the full field Asian Tour event that was reduced to a 54-hole stroke play tournament due to inclement weather.

He spun his words into gold when he held true to his word of a career revival in Johor. He did not take long to prove his point when he fired three consecutive birdies in his opening three holes before adding another two on the sixth and seventh holes to make the turn in 31.

The Korean went on to post further birdies on holes 11, 12 and 18 to return with a blemish free scorecard courtesy of an amazing par save on the 15th after his tee-off shot found the water. Choi recovered remarkably when he managed to hole his chip from 10 yards to save par.

“I was not really concerned about my shot on the 15th hole. Even if I had made a bogey, I knew that the next few holes were difficult holes and I had some space between Himmat so I kept myself calm and it helped with the way I played,” said Choi who bagged USD158,500 (approximately RM536,000) for his victory.

Choi’s victory marked a happy homecoming for the Korean as he previously sharpened his skills on the Asian Tour before turning his attention to the US PGA Tour where he has won seven titles.

“It is not easy to win on the Asian Tour. The depth of talent of the players here is very deep,” he said.

“If you do not manage yourself and your game, you cannot win out here. For me to win my first Asian Tour title outside of Korea is a testament of how difficult it is to play here.”

Chapchai Nirat of Thailand took second place after delighting the galleries gathered at the Royal Johor Country Club with three amazing chip-ins on the 15th, 17th and 18th holes. Chapchai was delighted to finish in second and he credited his tee shots for his second place finish.

“I was very lucky, especially with the three chip-ins. I was struggling with my putting the entire year but after this tournament I felt that it has improved. My tee shots also worked well as I was able to find 10 fairways,” said Chapchai, who wrote his name into the record books with a 32-under-par winning total at the SAIL Open in India.

Retief Goosen of South Africa returned with a superb 62 to take a share of third position alongside overnight leader Himmat Rai of India who closed with a 70 for a three-day total of 201 at the final round that was suspended for two hours due to thunderstorms.

Rai, who was aiming for his maiden Asian Tour victory, was pleased with his best finish this season when he ended his campaign with five birdies against three bogeys.

“It feels good and satisfying to know that I played so well. Overall it has been a great tournament for me. Playing with K.J Choi and the things that I learnt from him is unbelievable. His concentration is very good and he hit some really great shots,” said Rai.

“Having played so well this week, I’m beginning to feel much more confident about my game. I’m just looking forward to playing more on the Asian Tour and playing my heart out”

Defending champion Goosen signalled his intention of staging a remarkable comeback by closing with the week’s lowest score of 62 on the final day. He blitzed through his front nine by carding three consecutive birdies followed by a magical eagle where his amazing bunker shot from about 10 yards out found the hole.

The South African added another two birdies on the seventh and eighth to make the turn in 29. Goosen’s title charge was further sweetened with a birdie on the 11th but he dropped one shot on the 12th before answering with further birdies on 14th, 17th and 18th.

“Like I said yesterday, I had no chance of winning so I just came out and shoot a good round to improve my position,” Goosen said.

“On my fourth hole I hit my tee shot with a three-wood right into the bunker and I told my caddie that if it is time to chip one in, it will be now and I holed it!”

Japan’s Kodai Ichihara and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat signed off their Malaysian campaign on matching 204s to take tied-fifth position.

Leading final round scores
196 - K.J. Choi (KOR) 68-64-64
200 - Chapchai Nirat (THA) 69-65-66
201 - Retief Goosen (RSA) 69-70-62, Himmat Rai (IND) 64-67-70
204 - Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 72-68-64, Kodai Ichihara (JPN) 66-69-69
205 - Juvic Pagunsan (PHI) 70-68-67, Mars Pucay (PHI) 69-65-71
206 - Anirban Lahiri (IND) 69-69-68, Lin Wen-hong (TPE) 69-69-68, Noh Seung-yul (KOR) 69-68-69, Tim Stewart (AUS) 69-73-64, Chang Tse-peng (TPE) 65-68-73, Darren Beck (AUS) 68-64-74
207 - Rahil Gangjee (IND) 69-67-71
208 - Chris Rodgers (ENG) 70-68-70, Jason Norris (AUS) 72-65-71
209 - Antonio Lascuna (PHI) 70-70-69, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 70-70-69

Selected scores
209 - Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 70-70-69
210 - Lam Chih Bing (SIN) 71-68-71, Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND) 69-69-72, Mardan Mamat (SIN) 70-72-68

The first edition of the Iskandar Johor Open (IJO) was held in 2007 from August 23 to 26 at the Royal Johor Country Club (RJCC) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Carrying a purse prize of USD300,000, the inaugural tournament saw a total of 156 players from 25 countries. The tournament was won by Artemio Murakami of the Philippines. Murakami came from two off the lead with a near-flawless closing 68 to take the title by one stroke from compatriot Tony Lascuna and the seasoned Scot, Simon Yates for his maiden win on the Asian Tour.

South African Retief Goosen went on to clinch the coveted trophy in the USD500,000 Iskandar Johor Open 2008. 144 golf professionals from the Asian Tour battled it out at the Royal Johor Country Club from October 30 to November 2, 2008. The 2nd edition of Iskandar Johor Open was fully sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Malaysian Golf Association and Johor Golf Association and boasted some of the world’s top players – Retief Goosen, Niclas Fasth, Thongchai Jaidee amongst others.

2009 will mark a milestone in the history of Iskandar Johor Open, with a 100% increase in prize money to USD1,000,000.

The main sponsor of the Iskandar Johor Open is the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA). It is also supported by platinum sponsor - UEM Land Berhad, the master developer of Nusajaya which is a key driver of Iskandar Malaysia.

Other co-sponsors include Iskandar Waterfront Development and UM Land. Official partners are TaylorMade Adidas Golf, 100 Plus, Srixon, Winston Wine, Dewars, Ricoh and the Puteri Pacific Hotel. Official media partners include Golf Malaysia, Par Golf, Faiways and Lite FM.

IJO 2009 will once again be broadcast live over ESPN STAR Sports, reaching out to over 120 million homes around the world.