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K.J. Choi wins the AT&T National

A few alternate titles for this week’s blog:

Jump for Choi

You’re my Choi, Blue!

Low-scoring, low-sodium Choi Sauce

Sorry about the horrific puns, but make no mistake: these are heady times for K.J. Choi. The 37-year-old native of Wando, South Korea, was the only pro in contention that didn’t come unglued down the stretch on Sunday at the AT&T National, a.k.a. “Tiger’s Tournament.” Choi finished a gutsy 9-under par, three shots clear of runner-up Steve Stricker.

The win gives Choi an interesting 2007 double: He has now won Jack Nicklaus’s tournament (The Memorial) and Tiger Woods’s event (The AT&T National). Choi also becomes just the fifth player to win multiple tournaments this season, joining Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Zach Johnson.

As for Tiger, back in action after a three-week layoff highlighted by the birth of daughter Sam Alexis, there were flashes of both rust and greatness. In the end, his rounds of 73-66-69-70 left him 2-under par and tied for sixth place. Pretty respectable given both the time off and added strain from the duties of parenthood and event host. Afterwards, Woods called the event “A perfect week.” Wonder what he would’ve said if he’d won it…

Next up is the John Deere Classic held in the Quad Cities. The event lost considerable zing after Michelle Wie withdrew from the field a few weeks ago, but there are still reasons to watch, including fan favorites John Daly and Zach Johnson.

For most of the tour’s heaviest hitters, this week marks the time to head overseas and make final preparations for the British Open, held July 19-22 at Carnoustie, one of Scotland's most demanding links courses. Savvy golf fans might remember Carnoustie as the host of one of the most gruesome final-hole collapses in modern history. Back in 1999--when "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys was the No. 1 song and moviegoers were shrieking at "The Blair Witch Project" (I feel like you should know these things)--the 18^th hole was the scene of Frenchman Jean Van de Velde’s ugly final-round triple bogey, when a double would've won him the Open. The meltdown led to a three-man playoff ultimately won by Paul Lawrie.

While the world may not ever see a creepier movie than "Blair Witch," or a creepier group of guys than the Backstreet ensemble, perhaps the 2007 Open at Carnoustie can top the 1999 event. We’ll soon find out.