Choi opened his tournament with a 72 but followed that up with a 75 and then a 77. During the third round, Choi had two birdies and a double bogey on the front nine, and fell apart on the back nine with four bogeys and one double bogey against just one birdie.

Choi, who has two victories each in South Korea and Japan, earned an invitation to the PGA tournament last month. He's been playing mostly in Asia.

Choi is best known for a swing that has been called everything from bizarre to crazy to electric.

On his follow-through, Choi lifts his right foot off the ground and swings it around his body. And his actions after the follow-through vary. Sometimes, Choi lands on his right foot as he leans forward and lifts his driver as if to will his tee shot. On other occasions, Choi has his back turned completely on the right side of the tee and takes a few steps toward the other end of the teeing ground.

Though Choi's funky follow-through isn't as pronounced on his iron shots, he still takes his right foot off and walks away from the spot where he's just struck the ball.

Videos showing Choi in action have gone viral, and US instructional magazines published frame-by-frame breakdowns of Choi's swing, which fans now refer to as "the fisherman's swing."

Choi proved he wasn't just a curiosity by winning the Casio World Open in Japan in November. (Yonhap)