Ahead of the Barclays Singapore Open 2009, Golf Focus host Colette Wong backs a certain South Korean to win "Asia's only major".

Every year for the past few years, a few close friends and I have wagered on who will win the Masters.

All we get is one pick. If none of our choices wins the green jacket, then it's game over. No one wins, no one loses. But if someone among us does pick the champion? Well then, it's a dinner treat for the lucky winner and bragging rights for an entire year.

Yes, we are a sad bunch. And even sadder for me, I've never won this wager for the simple fact that I pick the same person every year - KJ Choi. My reasons are simple: he's Asian, he's good, and he must be the only former weightlifter on the PGA Tour (not that I have a thing for weightlifters, I just find that point extremely fascinating!).

2009 hasn't been a great year for The Tank but I have a pretty good feeling about his chances at the Barclays Singapore Open.

Yes, it's the same feeling I get every year before the start of the Masters and my predictions have ultimately always been wrong.

But this time, I think I'm on to something! He enters the Singapore Open on the back of his first victory of the year where he absolutely scorched the field at the Iskandar Johor Open. He's also quite comfortable with what can be suffocating conditions in this part of the world.

Choi will of course be up against some red-hot and solid players this weekend in Singapore. Phil Mickelson is ranked 2 in the entire universe and he's the strong favourite at Sentosa. So is 3-time Major champion Padraig Harrington. But the Irishman attributed a poor round in Portugal a few weeks ago to heat and dehydration so I can't imagine how he's going to cope with Singapore's equatorial climate.

The cameras will also be focused on the likes of Ernie Els, another multiple major winner; crowd favourites Miguel-Angel Jiminez and Darren Clarke; Adam Scott, a two-time winner in Singapore.... The list goes on.

And the reason why there's such an impressive line-up is due to the fact that the Barclays Singapore Open is co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours. For the European Tour players, this is a chance for them to make further inroads up the Race to Dubai rankings. Only the top 60 qualify for Dubai, but the top 15 are privy to a 7,5 million dollar bonus. And then there are golfers like England's Seve Benson who lies on the cusp of the top 115 players in the Race to Dubai who keep their European Card next season. He'll need a good performance in Singapore to consolidate his position.

But back to KJ Choi, an honorary member of the Asian Tour and my pick for winning the Barclays Singapore Open. A few years ago he set up a foundation, much like Tiger Woods, with the aim of helping the less fortunate. In 2007 he pledged to donate all of his winnings from the FEDEX Cup, if he won the 10 million dollar bonus. He eventually ended up fifth in the standings that year. But the initial statement in itself was huge and indicative of the great personality that lies behind the golfer.

So that's one more reason to support Choi at the Barclays Singapore Open at the Sentosa Golf Club again. Following his win in Johor, another victory this week could signal a turning point in Choi's career, and in turn secure me bragging rights by coming up trumps at the Masters.

* Catch Colette Wong on Golf Focus as well SportsCenter on ESPN STAR Sports!