Charlie Wi
Encyclopedia
Charlie Wi is a South Korea
n professional golf
er who plays on the PGA Tour
. He has also previously played on both the European and Asian Tours.
Wi was born in Seoul
, and moved to Los Angeles, California
, United States
at the age of 10. He attended the University of California, Berkeley
, after briefly attending the University of Nevada, Reno
and had a successful amateur career before turning professional in 1995.
Early in his career, Wi played all over the world, competing on the European
, Asian
and Japanese
tours. He had most success on the Asian Tour where he finished second on the money list in 2001, just behind Thongchai Jaidee
, having won three times during the season.
Wi earned his place on the PGA Tour
for 2005 when he successfully negotiated all three stages of the 2004 qualifying school
. However, he did not do well enough in his rookie season to retain his card, and went back to play on the Asian Tour in 2006, finishing 4th on the money list. He also competed on the second tier Nationwide Tour
, before returning to qualifying school where he regained his place on the PGA Tour for 2007.
In February 2006, Wi secured the biggest win of his career, when he won the Maybank Malaysian Open, an event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
In May 2011, Wi finished runner-up at a PGA Tour event for the fourth time in his career losing to David Toms
at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
. Wi was seven strokes behind Toms at the halfway stage, but shot a 66 during the third round to take a one stroke lead into the final round. Wi held his lead until midway through the final round when Toms holed out from the fairway for an eagle and would eventually go on to lose by one stroke.
, who consider him the best example of their swing model:
Wi does not transfer body weight to the trail leg on back swing but moves the weight forward during the whole swing, even with the driver. He performs a steep shoulder turn around a steady axis.
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er who plays on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
. He has also previously played on both the European and Asian Tours.
Wi was born in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, and moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the age of 10. He attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, after briefly attending the University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
and had a successful amateur career before turning professional in 1995.
Early in his career, Wi played all over the world, competing on the European
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
, Asian
Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
and Japanese
Japan Golf Tour
The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with...
tours. He had most success on the Asian Tour where he finished second on the money list in 2001, just behind Thongchai Jaidee
Thongchai Jaidee
Thongchai Jaidee is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour and the European Tour. He holds the record for most career victories and most career earnings on the Asian Tour....
, having won three times during the season.
Wi earned his place on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
for 2005 when he successfully negotiated all three stages of the 2004 qualifying school
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
. However, he did not do well enough in his rookie season to retain his card, and went back to play on the Asian Tour in 2006, finishing 4th on the money list. He also competed on the second tier Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
, before returning to qualifying school where he regained his place on the PGA Tour for 2007.
In February 2006, Wi secured the biggest win of his career, when he won the Maybank Malaysian Open, an event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
In May 2011, Wi finished runner-up at a PGA Tour event for the fourth time in his career losing to David Toms
David Toms
David Wayne Toms is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He has won a total of thirteen events on the PGA Tour including the 2001 PGA Championship...
at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It has been played annually in May in Fort Worth, Texas on the course at the Colonial Country Club. It is one of five invitational tournaments held on the PGA Tour...
. Wi was seven strokes behind Toms at the halfway stage, but shot a 66 during the third round to take a one stroke lead into the final round. Wi held his lead until midway through the final round when Toms holed out from the fairway for an eagle and would eventually go on to lose by one stroke.
Swing style
Wi's golf swing style fits the model known as stack and tilt, and he helped to choose this name. He is coached since 2005 by Mike Bennett and Andy PlummerMike Bennett and Andy Plummer
Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer are a duo of golf instructors who have coached PGA Tour players Charlie Wi, Steve Elkington, Tom Scherrer, Grant Waite, Troy Matteson, Bill Lunde, Mike Weir and Aaron Baddeley, among others...
, who consider him the best example of their swing model:
Wi does not transfer body weight to the trail leg on back swing but moves the weight forward during the whole swing, even with the driver. He performs a steep shoulder turn around a steady axis.
Amateur wins (2)
- 1990 California State Amateur Championship
- 1995 Southern California Amateur Championship
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Feb 2006 2006 European Tour The 2006 European Tour was the 35th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2006 season consisted of 47 official money events, equalling the record set the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the... |
Maybank Malaysian Open | 1 stroke |  Thongchai JaideeThongchai Jaidee Thongchai Jaidee is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour and the European Tour. He holds the record for most career victories and most career earnings on the Asian Tour.... |
Asian Tour wins (7)
- 1997 Mild Seven Kuala Lumpur Open
- 2001 Volvo China OpenVolvo China OpenThe Volvo China Open is a men's golf tournament that has been held annually in China since 1995. The event is organised by the China Golf Association and has been co-sanctioned by the European Tour since 2003....
, SK Telecom OpenSK Telecom OpenThe SK Telecom Open is an annual professional golf tournament hosted in South Korea and sponsored by the Korean cell phone company SK Telecom. The tournament was inaugurated in June 1997 as "SK Telecom Classic", and renamed in 2001. It is part of the Korean Tour for men, and was co-sanctioned by...
, Sinhan Donghae Open - 2002 SK Telecom OpenSK Telecom OpenThe SK Telecom Open is an annual professional golf tournament hosted in South Korea and sponsored by the Korean cell phone company SK Telecom. The tournament was inaugurated in June 1997 as "SK Telecom Classic", and renamed in 2001. It is part of the Korean Tour for men, and was co-sanctioned by...
- 2004 Taiwan OpenTaiwan Open (golf)The Taiwan Open was the national open golf tournament of Taiwan. It was also known as the Republic of China Open or simply the ROC Open. It was founded in 1965 and played annually through 2006. It was an Asian Tour event from 1999 to 2006.-Winners:...
- 2006 Maybank Malaysian Open (co-sanctioned with the European Tour)
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
T9 | T56 | CUT | CUT |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Professional- Dynasty Cup: 2003 (winners)
- World Cup (representing South Korea): 2006, 20092009 Omega Mission Hills World CupThe 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 26 to November 29 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 55th World Cup. 28 countries competed as two player teams...
- Royal TrophyRoyal TrophyThe Royal Trophy is a men's professional team golf tournament which was played for the first time in January 2006 at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand. The competing teams represent Europe and Asia. Eight man teams play a series of 16 matches involving foursomes, four-ball and...
(representing Asia): 20092009 Royal TrophyThe 2009 Royal Trophy was the third edition of The Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It was held from 9–11 January at the Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand...
(winners), 20102010 Royal TrophyThe 2010 Royal Trophy was the fourth edition of The Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It was held from 8–10 January at the Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand...
See also
- 2004 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates2004 PGA Tour Qualifying School GraduatesThis is a list of the 35 players who earned their 2005 PGA Tour card through Q School in 2004.*Players in yellow are 2005 PGA Tour rookies.-2005 Results:T = Tied...
- 2006 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates2006 PGA Tour Qualifying School GraduatesThis is a list of the 40 players who earned their 2007 PGA Tour card through Q School in 2006.-2007 Results:T = Tied Green background indicates the player retained his PGA Tour card for 2008 ....
- List of golfers with most Asian Tour wins