There’s Korean flavor to opening-day menu

K.J. Choi of South Korea was thrilled beyond sometimes-translated words last year when he won Jack Nicklaus’ tournament at Memorial and Tiger Woods’ event at the AT&T; National.

Choi, as many with Golf Channel access know, learned to play golf by studying Nicklaus’ lesson books and instructional videos.

After shooting a six-under-par 65 in Thursday’s opening round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, Choi now has turned his sights on winning what was known informally for years as Ben Hogan’s tournament.

Hogan won two L.A. Open titles at Riviera and claimed a U.S. Open on the course, all within 17 months.

Choi is more apt to tunnel vision than playing out the possibilities, and no one has yet suggested “Choi’s Chute” as an appendage to “Hogan’s Alley.”

“I think it’s too early to talk about a win at this point,” Choi said after his six birdies and bogey-free round.

Still, opening day at Riviera was a great, if not wind-swept, day for Korea and Koreatown.

Choi’s 65 was good for a one-shot lead over another Korean-born player, Kevin Na, who posted a five-under 66. Chad Campbell and Vaughn Taylor are two shots back at 67, while Phil Mickelson leads an eight-player cluster at 68.

First-round play was suspended at 5:41 because of darkness with 17 players still on course, including Dustin Johnson, who was three under through 15. When you teed off Thursday really counted, as the 12 players who posted rounds of 68 or lower all played in the morning.

The afternoon was only fun if you were a sailor.

Sergio Garcia, who didn’t tee off until 12:12, staggered in at three-over 74.

“It was coming from all over the place,” Garcia said of the wind.

Choi and Na, the two Koreans, were by then safely ensconced.

And what if Choi could pull this off?

“It would obviously be a big win,” Choi said. “L.A. has the largest Korean population in the U.S. and it’s the 100th anniversary of Koreans immigrating to the U.S., so it would definitely be a big one.”

Choi and Na have a country in common, but they are also from different worlds.

Choi, who will turn 38 in May, grew up in South Korea as the son of a rice farmer. He speaks English but prefers to use a translator in larger media sessions.

Na’s family moved from South Korea to United States when Kevin was 8. He quickly became a golf prodigy, and left Diamond Bar High early at age 17 to pursue his pro golf dreams.

Still, the kinship is undeniable.

“It’s good to see that a fellow Korean player is playing well,” Choi said. “Before, I was the only one out here, so to have someone out here playing, and playing well, it makes me feel proud.”

Choi was more of a slow burn compared with Na’s shooting star.

Many feared golf would eat Na raw before he turned 20. He was going to end up a cautionary tale.

Whatever happened to patience?

Arnold Palmer was in his mid-20s when he joined the tour in 1955.

Na, now 24, admits it wasn’t always easy.

“I’m still young now, but it was very hard,” Na said Thursday, “to adjust to this travel and all this, it’s a lot of pressure.”

Na has yet to win on the PGA Tour, but this could be the season. He already has two top-five finishes.

Asked about Na on Thursday, Mickelson gushed, “Gosh, I think he’s going to have a great career.”

His accountant might say he has already had one. Na has already topped the $3-million mark in career earnings and has banked $465,143 this year.

Na turned pro in 2001, and earned his first PGA Tour card in 2003 at age 20. He earned more than $1 million in 2005, the season he posted a career-best tied-for-second at the FBR Open. A hand injury in 2006 limited him to 11 events, but he seems to have fully rebounded.

Na may be ready to turn the page. His bio, for what it’s worth, is on page 139 of the 2008 PGA Tour guide. The two players listed after him are Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman.

Of course, there’s a long way to go between a good Thursday morning round at Riviera and sunset on Sunday.

Mickelson’s 68 left him in prime pounce position. Most people know that Tiger Woods, the world’s No. 1 player, has never won at Riviera.

But neither has Mickelson, the world’s No. 2, in nine appearances in this event and once in the 1995 PGA Championship.

Mickelson came tantalizingly close last year before losing in a playoff to Charles Howell III, who shot a 71 on Thursday. After missing the cut in 2001, Mickelson skipped the event until last year. Not winning, however, has obviously aroused his competitive spirit.

“This is the tournament that’s eluded me on the West Coast,” Mickelson said.

A winner of three major titles, Mickelson doesn’t quite understand his disconnect with this famous course.

“I don’t feel as though there’s anything about Riviera that is uncomfortable,” he said. “I love the golf course. I love the way it feels.”

After one day, at least, Phil was definitely feeling it.

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chris.dufresne@latimes.com