He’s only 30, but Albin Choi has played a lot of roles in his relatively short golf career. He was a college star turned can’t-miss professional. Then he was a can’t-miss pro who missed, and became a caddie on the PGA Tour. Now he’s trying to find his way back as a tour pro, and this time he just might pull it off.
“My takeaway from being away from the game was understanding how much I actually wanted to play,” said Choi, who was born in Surrey, British Columbia, and grew up playing in Toronto. “This time, I’m trying to enjoy the journey more.”
To this point, Choi’s journey has been a winding road, full of detours and the occasional pothole.
He became a star at North Carolina State, winning nine times in college. He won the Canadian Amateur, and was low amateur at the RBC Canadian Open at 20. At that tournament, Choi faced an onslaught of questions about the death of his mother, who fought depression before taking her own life. Most young pros worry only about explaining why they missed a short putt on the final hole; Choi calmly answered much bigger questions about life and death. Heady stuff for someone not finished with college.
Still, it appeared to many as if Choi would break through to become a star. At the time, he was one of several talented players who were hotly tipped as a Canadian golf renaissance, a group that included Mackenzie Hughes, Corey Conners, and Taylor Pendrith. Of the group, many thought Choi was the most likely to succeed. He had a smooth swing and a well-rounded game. There were no holes to speak of, and he’d won everywhere he’d played.
He moved up quickly enough, getting to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2014, only a year after turning pro. But he largely stayed there for the next six years. Injuries crept in, and Choi stopped progressing. He could never move to the next level and see what he could do on the PGA Tour. By 2019, a year when he made $38,850 playing golf, he was largely out of money and options.
That’s when he decided to do what many aspiring players are forced to consider: he started caddying at a private club in Florida to make ends meet. But Choi’s luck finally started to change when up-and-coming PGA Tour star Sungjae Im of South Korea fired his caddie and needed someone to loop for a week. Choi, who speaks Korean, seemed like a good fit and went to work for Im at the Honda Classic in 2020. Im would win that week, and suddenly Choi’s money woes receded.
Choi never intended to be a caddie full-time, and he hadn’t given up on playing tour golf. He soldiered on with Im for a while before splitting. But he’s grateful for the experience and says it taught him a great deal.
“I saw the best players were fundamentally better than I was and had a better mental approach,” he said. “I learned how the best prepare, and I had a front-row seat to see how the best in the world play.”
All the same, there was one key takeaway: “I took away just how much I really wanted to play. We all have a path, and that is mine.”
Armed with some money for the first time, Choi charted a way back to playing professional golf. He started playing on Florida’s mini-tour circuit with significant success. He was healthy again, and his game was rounding into shape, even as the pandemic made it difficult. He fought his way to the final stage of the Korn Ferry qualifying school, but a final-round 77 dropped him well down the leaderboard. Choi would get starts, but they’d be infrequent.
In February, Choi Monday qualified into the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic and made the best of his opportunity, shooting 15-under to tie for sixth. He got the occasional start afterward, but had to wait for the tour’s reshuffle to start playing regularly. He played four times in May, making the cut in each event.
"I can say that most of the guys on the big tour have persevered through things, even if you don’t know about them. They’ve gotten through those dark times.”
Albin Choi
So, the can’t-miss kid is back on the rise? Choi says there’s a lot expected of college successes, maybe too much. For every 19-year-old who breaks through immediately on the PGA Tour, there’s a player who took a decade to find his way.
“Everyone thinks it should happen quickly, and that it is a lot easier than it actually is,” Choi said. “They think the higher you go in the game, the better you should play. But golf is about a lot more than just having a really good swing.”
His game is better now than before the pandemic, Choi said. He’s healthy and carefully monitoring his body. His fundamentals have improved, and his time caddying taught him how to approach the game differently than the last time he battled on the Korn Ferry Tour.
This time, he insists, things will be different.
“What’s the saying: tough times create tough people?” Choi said. “You have to be tough to be successful. I can say that most of the guys on the big tour have persevered through things, even if you don’t know about them. They’ve gotten through those dark times.”
Choi is now focused not on the struggles but the opportunity ahead.
“I’m preparing for that moment,” he said. “And I’m really motivated to play.”
Let the second act of Albin Choi begin.
Top: Albin Choi has been getting more regular starts on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour since reshuffle.