Everything seemed to click this year for Choe, as she earned Player of the Year in record-breaking fashion. Choe finished atop the tour’s money list with the fewest events (six) played in history of Tour, beating out Grace Park and Lorena Ochoa who had previously held the record with 10 events in 1999 and 2002 respectively.
“I didn’t expect it coming in this year,” said Choe. “I’ve been struggling the last few years but I feel like I’ve always made positive improvements. I never gave up and kept trying things. I think I finally got a good team of people together around me and I just started thinking positively.”
Although she played in just six events, Choe was the only two-time winner on Tour this season, posting victories at the Sara Bay Classic and Riviera Nayarit Classic. In addition to her two wins, Choe also finished runner-up at the Northeast Delta Dental International and tied for second at the season-ending Daytona Beach Invitational Presented by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Choe was one of two players, the other being Nicole Smith, to spend 15 out of the 16 weeks this year inside the top-10 on the Volvik Race for the Card.
“I feel like it’s been coming for a while, since I won the first two (events),” said Choe. “After I won the second, I knew I would be getting it but actually having it happen is a crazy good feeling. To finally get my card is so awesome. And I’ve definitely come a long way so it’s even sweeter.”
Since joining the Symetra Tour in 2007, Choe’s best year on tour prior to this season came in 2010 when she recorded five top-10 finishes and ended the season in12th place on the money list with $36,894.
Prior to turning professional, Choe had a highly decorated junior and amateur resume. As a junior golfer she won the prestigious 2003 Junior Orange Bowl International Championship and 2005 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions. She was a two-time member of the U.S. Junior Solheim Cup Team (2005, 2007) and was named the 2006 AJGA Rolex Girls’ Player of the Year.
The accolade as the tour’s top player places Choe in a category alongside former Symetra Tour Players of the Year, including Lorena Ochoa, Stacy Prammanasudh, Cindy LaCrosse, and Vicky Hurst.
Topics: Esther Choe, Press Release
