Charlie Wi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charlie Wi위창수 |
|
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Wi Chang-soo |
| Born | 3 January 1972 Seoul, South Korea |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st) |
| Nationality |  South Korea |
| Residence | North Hills, California, U.S. |
| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| College | University of California, Berkeley |
| Turned professional | 1995 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour Japan Golf Tour Asian Tour Web.com Tour Korean Tour |
| Professional wins | 9 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 1 |
| Asian Tour | 7 (Tied-9th all-time) |
| Other | 5 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
|
| The Masters Tournament | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T29: 2012 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T9: 2008 |
Charlie Wi, whose full name is Wi Chang-soo (Korean: 위창수), is a professional golfer from South Korea. He was born on January 3, 1972. Charlie has played golf all over the world. He has won tournaments on the European Tour and the Asian Tour. Now, he plays on the PGA Tour Champions.
Contents
Early Life and Amateur Career
Charlie Wi was born in Seoul, South Korea. When he was 10, his family moved to Los Angeles, USA. He went to college at the University of California, Berkeley. Before becoming a professional, Charlie was a very good amateur golfer. He won the California State Amateur in 1990. He also won the Southern California Amateur in 1995.
Professional Golf Career
Charlie became a professional golfer in 1995. He traveled a lot, playing in Europe, Asia, and Japan. He did really well on the Asian Tour. In 2001, he won three tournaments there. He was almost the top player on that tour!
In 2005, Charlie joined the PGA Tour in the United States. This is one of the biggest golf tours. He had to go through special qualifying rounds to earn his spot. He didn't stay on the PGA Tour that first year. So, he went back to play on the Asian Tour in 2006. He also played on the Nationwide Tour, which is now called the Web.com Tour. He then tried the qualifying school again and got back onto the PGA Tour for 2007.
Big Wins and Close Calls
In February 2006, Charlie won his biggest tournament. It was the Maybank Malaysian Open. This event was part of both the European and Asian tours. It was a huge victory for him!
Charlie often came very close to winning on the PGA Tour. In May 2011, he finished second at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He was leading going into the final day. But David Toms played a great round and won by just one shot.
In February 2012, Charlie was again in the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He had a three-shot lead before the final round. But Phil Mickelson played an amazing round. Phil shot a very low score and won the tournament. This was the fifth time Charlie finished second on the PGA Tour.
In April 2023, Charlie played on the PGA Tour Champions. This tour is for golfers aged 50 and over. He finished second at the Invited Celebrity Classic in Irving, Texas. He lost in a sudden-death playoff to Mark Hensby.
Golf Swing Style
Charlie Wi is known for his special golf swing. It's called the "stack and tilt" style. He even helped choose the name for it! His coaches, Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, think he is the best example of this swing. They say if you want to see what "stack and tilt" looks like, you should watch Charlie Wi.
In this swing style, Charlie doesn't move his body weight to his back leg. Instead, he keeps his weight forward during the whole swing. He also turns his shoulders steeply around a steady center.
Amateur Wins
- 1990 California State Amateur
- 1995 Southern California Amateur
Professional Wins (9)
European Tour Wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Feb 2006 | Maybank Malaysian Open1 | −19 (66-68-63=197)* | 1 stroke |  Thongchai Jaidee |
*Note: The 2006 Maybank Malaysian Open was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
Asian Tour Wins (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 Sep 1997 | Mild Seven Kuala Lumpur Open | −11 (67-73-69-68=277) | 4 strokes |  Lu Wen-teh,  Zhang Lianwei |
| 2 | 20 May 2001 | SK Telecom Open1 | −7 (69-72-69-71=281) | Playoff |  Kang Wook-soon,  Simon Yates |
| 3 | 23 Sep 2001 | Shinhan Donghae Open1 | −12 (66-70-70-70=276) | 1 stroke |  Vivek Bhandari, Yang Yong-eun |
| 4 | 21 Oct 2001 | Volvo China Open | −16 (68-67-69-68=272) | 1 stroke | Thongchai Jaidee |
| 5 | 28 Apr 2002 | SK Telecom Open1 (2) | −16 (67-69-67-69=272) | 2 strokes |  Kim Felton,  Kevin Na |
| 6 | 26 Sep 2004 | Taiwan Open | −4 (76-76-64-68=284) | 3 strokes | Terry Pilkadaris |
| 7 | 18 Feb 2006 | Maybank Malaysian Open2 | −19 (66-68-63=197)* | 1 stroke | Thongchai Jaidee |
*Note: The 2006 Maybank Malaysian Open was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
1Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour
2Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
Asian Tour Playoff Record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001 | SK Telecom Open | Kang Wook-soon, Simon Yates |
Won with birdie on seventh extra hole Yates eliminated by birdie on fifth hole |
Korean Tour Wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 May 2001 | SK Telecom Open1 | −7 (69-72-69-71=281) | Playoff | Kang Wook-soon, Simon Yates |
| 2 | 23 Sep 2001 | Shinhan Donghae Open1 | −12 (66-70-70-70=276) | 1 stroke | Vivek Bhandari, Yang Yong-eun |
| 3 | 28 Apr 2002 | SK Telecom Open1 (2) | −16 (67-69-67-69=272) | 2 strokes | Kim Felton, Kevin Na |
| 4 | 6 Jun 2004 | Pocari Energy Open | −11 (69-70-74-64=277) | 3 strokes | Choi Yoon-soo |
| 5 | 23 Oct 2005 | GS Caltex Masters | −11 (67-73-71-66=277) | 8 strokes | Choi Gwang-soo |
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian PGA Tour
Korean Tour Playoff Record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001 | SK Telecom Open | Kang Wook-soon, Simon Yates |
Won with birdie on seventh extra hole Yates eliminated by birdie on fifth hole |
Playoff Record
PGA Tour Champions Playoff Record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | Invited Celebrity Classic | Mark Hensby |
Lost to par on fourth extra hole |
Major Championships
Charlie Wi has played in some of golf's biggest tournaments. These are called major championships. He has done well in the PGA Championship. He finished in the top 10 there in 2008. He has also played in the U.S. Open. He has never played in the Masters Tournament.
| Tournament | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | CUT | T29 | |||
| The Open Championship | |||||
| PGA Championship | T9 | T56 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
Top 10 Did not play CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Note: Wi never played in the Masters Tournament.
The Players Championship
Charlie has also played in The Players Championship. This is another very important golf tournament.
| Tournament | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T63 | CUT | CUT | T41 | T25 | T55 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
World Golf Championships
Charlie Wi has also played in the World Golf Championships. These are special events for the best golfers.
| Tournament | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Match Play | |
| Championship | |
| Invitational | T63 |
Did not play "T" = Tied
Team Appearances
Charlie Wi has represented Asia and South Korea in team golf events.
- Dynasty Cup (representing Asia): 2003 (winners)
- World Cup (representing South Korea): 2006, 2009
- Royal Trophy (representing Asia): 2009 (winners), 2010
See Also
- 2004 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2006 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- List of golfers with most Asian Tour wins
