Filed at 6:33 p.m. ET
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- K.J. Choi banished three long years of losing with one spectacular, four-hole stretch in the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. The South Korean star birdied the first holes in the final round, giving him all the cushion he needed Sunday in a two-shot victory over Shigeki Maruyama.
It was Choi's first PGA Tour victory since 2002, when he won two tournaments during a breakthrough season. He finished with a 6-under 66 for a 22-under 266 total, one stroke short of Jesper Parnevik's tournament record from 1999.
Maruyama shot a 67. First-round leader Charles Warren, who tied the Forest Oaks Country Club record of 62 before faltering a bit over the past two days, rebounded with a 65 to tie Brandt Jobe (67) and Jason Bohn (70) for third.
Sergio Garcia had a 71 to tie for 13th at 13 under. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman and Adam Scott shot 74s to finish in a group at 3 under.
Choi snapped his winless streak near the end of what has been a very successful season for his country. Birdie Kim won the U.S. Women's Open in June, and Jeong Jang followed that up by winning the Women's British Open a month later.
And South Koreans Jimin Kang, Meena Lee and Soo-Yun Kang have LPGA Tour victories in 2005, too. Choi finally joined them.
He began the day tied for the top spot with D.J. Trahan, and three others were within two shots at the top of a jumbled leaderboard. Choi quickly took care of the logjam, knocking in a 17-footer for birdie on the first hole to move in front for good.
Three more moved him to 20 under, four shots clear of Maruyama, and there was very little drama left. About the only trouble for Choi came after a three-putt for bogey at No. 10 closed the gap to two, then he promptly left his tee shot on the par-3 12th short in a bunker.
But Choi's blast landed about 10 feet short of the hole and rolled straight in for a birdie, and he held on from there. Maruyama made it a bit interesting by holing out himself from the bunker on 18, even though it came a little too late.
The $900,000 prize might have been enough to move Choi back in the top 30 on the money list, where he finished the previous three years. He started the week 87th after missing three cuts in a row, and putting woes were partly to blame.
To make matters worse, Choi was passed over for the Presidents Cup team, even though he was only two spots away from qualifying. This was the first time since the event began in 1994 than an Asian was not be part of the team.
A tip from a friend before the start of the tournament helped Choi find a repetitive stroke that is not quite as wristy, and he used it well enough to finish the week with 26 birdies.
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