After more than four years, Choi broke the ‘curse’ of winning.
After breaking the shackles, he cried and laughed heartily.
Even more thrilling than his first win was the satisfaction of having grown up.
He was reborn.
Choi Won-jun (45), who won the championship in his first year as a professional, defeated Wimaz Birol (Welcome Savings Bank) 4-2 (15:5 14:15 10:15 15:3 15:9 15:2) in the final of the 2023-2024 Phoebe 6th Tour NHC Card Championship at Kintex PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday.
He earned 100 million won in prize money and improved his career win total to two.
Tears welled up in his eyes when he won, and he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he could barely speak. But his message came through loud and clear.
“I came out (stronger) from yang to yin, and then from yin to yang again. This is the real me.”
For the talented Choi, the world seemed to be his oyster when he reached the top of the individual standings in his Pro One year in 2019. 카지노사이트가이드
“I thought, ‘It’s worth a shot,'” he said.
He actually won a title on the individual tour. He was signed by Blue One Resort when the team league launched, and it seemed like a solid professional career was on the horizon.
However, the professional world was not an easy one.
His competitors were rising, and his juniors seemed to be overtaking him.
He was dropped from the team after just one year.
He finished in the top 10 five times before winning this tournament, but it was not easy to get to the final.
Choi refers to this as a period of stigmatization as a “flash in the pan” player.
“When I wasn’t performing well, people looked at me like I was a ‘shiny player,’ and that was the hardest part,” he said.
In the early days, he blamed the cue, blamed his sponsors, and berated himself.
But he didn’t get discouraged.
He picked himself up by asking questions and getting mental coaching.
His family, including his father, who passed away last year, his mother, wife, and two daughters, have been his greatest support.
The sobering words of Blue One Resort’s captain, Uhm Sang-pil, often served as a great motivator.
“He said, ‘Don’t just hit it and leave it to the sky.
He told me to see the ball through to the end and not be afraid to hit it and design it, and I remember those words.”
Against his final opponent of the day, Birole Wimaz (Welcome Savings Bank), Choi dominated the match with concise and precise strokes despite his arm not working properly.
When asked by reporters what her husband’s strengths were, Choi’s wife said “precise strokes,” and his strikes were beautiful lines without any fear or hesitation.
This is evidenced by the fact that he defeated the likes of Choi Sung-won (Hewons), Kim Hyun-woo (NHK Card), Kim Young-seop, Semi Signer (Hewons), and Park Jung-geun (Hewons) in the final.
Fans also recognized his prowess and exclaimed, “He’s like Kudrong,” “He’s Choi Drong,” and “Wow~”.
Even Wimazu, who lost in the final, said, “I was in top form, but Choi Won-joon was just too good.”
