{{short description|South Korean golfer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Charlie Wi<br>위창수 | image = | imagesize = <!-- e.g. 250px (default is 200px) --> | caption = | fullname = Wi Chang-soo | nickname = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|1|3|df=y}} | birth_place = Seoul, South Korea | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|1972|1|3|df=y}} --> | death_place = | height = {{height|ft=5|in=10}} | weight = {{convert|175|lb|kg st|abbr=on}} | nationality = {{KOR}} | residence = North Hills, California, U.S. | spouse = | partner = | children = 2 | college = University of California, Berkeley | yearpro = 1995 | tour = PGA Tour Champions | extour = PGA Tour<br>European Tour<br>Japan Golf Tour<br>Asian Tour<br>Web.com Tour<br>Korean Tour | prowins = 9 | eurowins = 1 | asiawins = 7 (Tied-9th all-time) | champwins = <!-- Number of Champions Tour wins --> | seneurowins = <!-- Number of European Seniors Tour wins --> | otherwins = 5 | majorwins = <!-- Number of Major Championship wins --> | masters = DNP | usopen = T29: 2012 | open = DNP | pga = T9: 2008 | wghofid = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame member ID --> | wghofyear = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame year inducted --> | award1 = <!-- Achievement or award details --> | year1 = <!-- Year(s) of achievement or award --> | award2 = | year2 = | awardssection = <!-- location of awards page or section --> }} '''Wi Chang-soo''' ({{langx|ko|위창수}}; born 3 January 1972), commonly known as '''Charlie Wi''', is a South Korean professional golfer who currently plays on PGA Tour Champions. He previously played on the PGA Tour, European Tour, Asian Tour and the Korean Tour. He was a one-time winner on the European Tour and a seven-time winner on the Asian Tour.
==Early life and amateur career== Wi was born in Seoul, and moved to Los Angeles, United States at the age of 10.<ref name="SFC">{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/kroichick/article/Wi-takes-long-road-to-PGA-Tour-2651152.php |title=Wi takes long road to PGA Tour |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=6 February 2007 |access-date=9 April 2009 |first=Ron |last=Kroichick}}</ref> He attended the University of California, Berkeley, after briefly attending the University of Nevada, Reno and had a successful amateur career.
==Professional career== Wi turned professional in 1995. Early in his career, Wi played all over the world, competing on the European, Asian and Japanese tours. He had most success on the Asian Tour where he finished second on the money list in 2001, just behind Thongchai Jaidee, having won three times during the season.
Wi earned his place on the PGA Tour for 2005 when he successfully negotiated all three stages of the 2004 qualifying school. However, he did not do well enough in his rookie season to retain his card, and went back to play on the Asian Tour in 2006, finishing 4th on the money list. He also competed on the second tier Nationwide Tour, before returning to qualifying school where he regained his place on the PGA Tour for 2007.<ref name="SFC"/>
In February 2006, Wi secured the biggest win of his career, when he won the Maybank Malaysian Open, an event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/4728936.stm |title=Korean Wi claims Malaysian Open |publisher=BBC Sport |date=19 February 2006 |access-date=9 April 2009}}</ref>
In May 2011, Wi finished runner-up at a PGA Tour event for the fourth time in his career losing to David Toms at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Wi was seven strokes behind Toms at the halfway stage, but shot a 66 during the third round to take a one stroke lead into the final round. Wi held his lead until midway through the final round when Toms holed out from the fairway for an eagle and would eventually go on to lose by one stroke.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgatour.com/2011/tournaments/r021/05/22/charlie-wi-sidebar/index.html |title=Wi misses out at Colonial but takes positives from the experience |date=22 May 2011 |work=PGA Tour |access-date=23 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527015316/http://www.pgatour.com/2011/tournaments/r021/05/22/charlie-wi-sidebar/index.html |archivedate=27 May 2011 }}</ref>
Wi finished as runner-up in February 2012 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am after taking a three stroke 54 hole lead into the final round. He shot a final round 72 to finish at 15 under, but lost out by two strokes as Phil Mickelson came from six back to claim the title with an 8 under par round of 64. This marked the fifth occasion on which Wi had recorded a second-place finish on the PGA Tour in his career.
In April 2023, Wi finished second to Mark Hensby in the Invited Celebrity Classic on PGA Tour Champions in Irving, Texas. Wi qualified as an alternate into the tournament but ended up losing on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff after hitting his ball in the water.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/36276072/mark-hensby-prevails-playoff-1st-pga-tour-champions-win |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=23 April 2023 |access-date=23 April 2023 |title=Mark Hensby prevails in playoff for 1st PGA Tour Champions win}}</ref>
==Swing style== Wi's golf swing style fits the model known as ''stack and tilt'', and he helped to choose this name.<ref>Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer with Peter Morrice, "The Stack and Tilt Swing. The definitive Guide to the Swing that is remaking Golf" ({{ISBN|978-1-592-40447-6}}), page XIV</ref> He is coached since 2005 by Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, who consider him the best example of their swing model:
{{blockquote|Today Charlie is thought of by many players as one of the best ball-strikers on tour, and he exhibits the moves we teach better than any other player. If you want to know what Stack & Tilt should look like, watch Charlie Wi.<ref>Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer with Peter Morrice, "The Stack and Tilt Swing. The definitive Guide to the Swing that is remaking Golf" ({{ISBN|978-1-592-40447-6}})</ref>}}
Wi does not transfer body weight to the trail leg on back swing but moves the weight forward during the whole swing, even with the driver. He performs a steep shoulder turn around a steady axis.
==Amateur wins== *1990 California State Amateur *1995 Southern California Amateur
==Professional wins (9)== ===European Tour wins (1)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No. !Date !Tournament !Winning score !Margin of<br>victory !Runner-up |- |align=center|1 |align=right|19 Feb 2006 |Maybank Malaysian Open<sup>1</sup> |−19 (66-68-63=197){{efn|name=weather|Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.}} |1 stroke |{{flagicon|THA}} Thongchai Jaidee |} <sup>1</sup>Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
===Asian Tour wins (7)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No. !Date !Tournament !Winning score !Margin of<br>victory !Runner(s)-up |- |align=center|1 |align=right|21 Sep 1997 |Mild Seven Kuala Lumpur Open |−11 (67-73-69-68=277) |4 strokes |{{flagicon|TWN}} Lu Wen-teh, {{flagicon|CHN}} Zhang Lianwei |- |align=center|2 |align=right|20 May 2001 |SK Telecom Open<sup>1</sup> |−7 (69-72-69-71=281) |Playoff |{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} Kang Wook-soon, {{flagicon|SCO}} Simon Yates |- |align=center|3 |align=right|23 Sep 2001 |Shinhan Donghae Open<sup>1</sup> |−12 (66-70-70-70=276) |1 stroke |{{flagicon|IND}} Vivek Bhandari, {{flagicon|KOR|1997}} Yang Yong-eun |- |align=center|4 |align=right|21 Oct 2001 |Volvo China Open |−16 (68-67-69-68=272) |1 stroke |{{flagicon|THA}} Thongchai Jaidee |- |align=center|5 |align=right|28 Apr 2002 |SK Telecom Open<sup>1</sup> (2) |−16 (67-69-67-69=272) |2 strokes |{{flagicon|AUS}} Kim Felton, {{flagicon|USA}} Kevin Na |- |align=center|6 |align=right|26 Sep 2004 |Taiwan Open |−4 (76-76-64-68=284) |3 strokes |{{flagicon|AUS}} Terry Pilkadaris |- |align=center|7 |align=right|18 Feb 2006 |Maybank Malaysian Open<sup>2</sup> |−19 (66-68-63=197){{efn|name=weather}} |1 stroke |{{flagicon|THA}} Thongchai Jaidee |} <sup>1</sup>Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour<br> <sup>2</sup>Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
'''Asian Tour playoff record (1–0)''' {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponents!!Result |-style="background:#D0F0C0;" |align=center|1 |2001 |SK Telecom Open |{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} Kang Wook-soon, {{flagicon|SCO}} Simon Yates |Won with birdie on seventh extra hole<br>Yates eliminated by birdie on fifth hole |}
===Korean Tour wins (5)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No. !Date !Tournament !Winning score !Margin of<br>victory !Runner(s)-up |- |align=center|1 |align=right|20 May 2001 |SK Telecom Open<sup>1</sup> |−7 (69-72-69-71=281) |Playoff |{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} Kang Wook-soon, {{flagicon|SCO}} Simon Yates |- |align=center|2 |align=right|23 Sep 2001 |Shinhan Donghae Open<sup>1</sup> |−12 (66-70-70-70=276) |1 stroke |{{flagicon|IND}} Vivek Bhandari, {{flagicon|KOR|1997}} Yang Yong-eun |- |align=center|3 |align=right|28 Apr 2002 |SK Telecom Open<sup>1</sup> (2) |−16 (67-69-67-69=272) |2 strokes |{{flagicon|AUS}} Kim Felton, {{flagicon|USA}} Kevin Na |- |align=center|4 |align=right|6 Jun 2004 |Pocari Energy Open |−11 (69-70-74-64=277) |3 strokes |{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} Choi Yoon-soo |- |align=center|5 |align=right|23 Oct 2005 |GS Caltex Masters |−11 (67-73-71-66=277) |8 strokes |{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} Choi Gwang-soo |} <sup>1</sup>Co-sanctioned by the Asian PGA Tour
'''Korean Tour playoff record (1–0)''' {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponents!!Result |-style="background:#D0F0C0;" |align=center|1 |2001 |SK Telecom Open |{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} Kang Wook-soon, {{flagicon|SCO}} Simon Yates |Won with birdie on seventh extra hole<br>Yates eliminated by birdie on fifth hole |}
==Playoff record== '''PGA Tour Champions playoff record (0–1)''' {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent!!Result |-style="background:#F2C1D1;" |align=center|1 |2023 |Invited Celebrity Classic |{{flagicon|AUS}} Mark Hensby |Lost to par on fourth extra hole |}
==Results in major championships== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" !Tournament !! 2008 !!2009 !!2010 !!2011 !!2012 |- |align=left|U.S. Open |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |T29 |- |align=left|The Open Championship |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |- |align=left|PGA Championship |style="background:yellow;"|T9 |T56 |CUT |CUT |CUT |} {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the half way cut<br> "T" indicates a tie for a place.<br> ''Note: Wi never played in the Masters Tournament.''
==Results in The Players Championship== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" !Tournament !2008!!2009!!2010!!2011!!2012!!2013!!2014 |- |align=left|The Players Championship |T63 |CUT |CUT |T41 |T25 |T55 |CUT |} CUT = missed the halfway cut<br> "T" indicates a tie for a place
==Results in World Golf Championships== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Tournament!!2002 |- |align="left"|Match Play |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |- |align="left"|Championship |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |- |align="left"|Invitational |T63 |} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} "T" = Tied
==Team appearances== '''Professional''' *Dynasty Cup (representing Asia): 2003 (winners) *World Cup (representing South Korea): 2006, 2009 *Royal Trophy (representing Asia): 2009 (winners), 2010
==See also== *2004 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates *2006 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates *List of golfers with most Asian Tour wins
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{official website|http://www.charliewi.com}} *{{PGATour player|20160}} *{{EuroTour player|3656}} *{{JapanTour player|10935}} *{{KoreanTour player|00000318}} *{{OWGR|5905}} *{{AsianTour player|101206|archive=20160413111917}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wi, Charlie}} Category:South Korean male golfers Category:Asian Tour golfers Category:Japan Golf Tour golfers Category:European Tour golfers Category:PGA Tour golfers Category:Golfers from Seoul Category:Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California Category:People from North Hills, Los Angeles Category:Sportspeople from Ventura County, California Category:1972 births Category:Living people