NEW ORLEANS, May 5 (UPI) -- K.J. Choi became the first South Korean to win on the PGA Tour Sunday as he ran away in impressive style at the Compaq Classic.
Choi carded a 5-under-par 67, using an eye-popping series of shots on the back nine at the English Turn Golf and Country Club to break away from a field that included a handful of the world's best players.
A former powerlifter who took up the game at the age of 16, Choi won for the first time in 74 PGA Tour starts. He had never placed better than fourth but was coming off consecutive top-10 finishes.
Choi, who turns 32 in two weeks, led over the final three rounds, finishing with a 72-hole total of 17-under 271 -- four shots better than Geoff Ogilvy of Australia and Dudley Hart.
Choi earned the $810,000 top prize and jumped into the top 20 on the money list with just over $1.263 million, surpassing his combined earnings in his first two years on tour.
Choi had at least a share of the lead throughout the final round, holding off a chase group that included Chris DiMarco, David Toms and Phil Mickelson -- all of whom began the week 11th or better in the World Golf Rankings.
The 11th-ranked DiMarco lipped out a birdie putt at the 12th hole, bogeyed two of his last five and finished in a tie for fourth at 276.
Toms, the defending champion who began the week eighth in the world, bogeyed the 13th, double-bogeyed the 16th and ended up seven strokes back at 278.
Mickelson, ranked second behind Tiger Woods, used a hot start to close within two shots but played the final 12 holes even and tied Toms and four others for ninth.
Also at 278 was four-time college All-American Bryce Molder, who had a share of the lead through four holes but four-putted for triple-bogey at the 10th. His tie for ninth guaranted him a spot in next week's field at the Byron Nelson Classic.
