Norman Lurking At the British

53-Year-Old Trails Choi by One Stroke

SOUTHPORT, England, July 18 -- Another day contested in classically cruel British Open conditions of occasional drenching showers and constant billowing sea breezes severely dimmed the championship aspirations of several prominent players Friday at Royal Birkdale. But once again, 53-year-old Greg Norman was not among the casualties, beginning with a birdie on his opening hole and keeping hope very much alive to become the oldest major champion in the history of golf.

For most of this slate gray, dreary day, Norman was the most captivating front-runner in this venerable event in recent memory, holding the 36-hole clubhouse lead after his second straight 70 left him at even-par 140. Then along came K.J. Choi of South Korea, making birdies on his final two holes, including a 25-foot putt at the 18th, for a 67 and 1-under 139 to take the lead going into what promises to be a weekend of more wild weather and a wide-open battle to claim the Claret Jug.

Earlier in the day, Colombian rising star Camilo Villegas, 26, finished with five straight birdies and a stunning 65, the lowest round of the tournament. And American David Duval offered flashes of the form he hasn't shown in years to get in contention at 2-over 142, his best Open round since he won the 2001 British at Royal Lytham.

Norman rarely plays competitive golf these days, the better to focus on his diverse business empire. Still, he showed superior short-game skills on his final three holes to avoid serious damage, including a bizarre save of par at the 473-yard finishing hole. His 35-footer for birdie actually caught a down slope just past the cup and ran off the multi-tiered green, but Norman sank his second putt from 20 feet on the fringe, accompanied by a deafening roar from thousands in the packed grandstands.

"The feeling is phenomenal, no question about it," Norman said of the rousing reception. "Of course you feel like you're stepping back in time. My expectations were almost nil coming in, to tell you the truth. My expectations are still realistically low, and I have to be that way, too, because I can't sit here and say, 'Okay, it's great, I'm playing well and I'm doing it.' Well, I am playing well, I am doing it, but I still haven't been there for a long time."

A half-hour earlier, Norman had concocted another sweet par save with a difficult bunker shot at the 16th. Squatting low with his feet in an awkward stance on grass and his ball below in the sand, he blasted to six feet and made the putt, as well as a 12-footer to avoid double bogey at the 17th in a round that also included a double bogey after a drive in strangling rough at No. 6.

Norman hasn't won on the PGA, European or Australasian tours since 1998 and has missed the cut in all three PGA Tour appearances this year. Still, he was accorded a long lost hero's welcome as he walked up the 18th fairway to the final green. Also in that adoring crowd was his new wife, tennis great Chris Evert.

Asked if he thought he could win, a phenomenal feat that would supplant Julius Boros, 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship, as the oldest major winner, Norman said, "I don't know how to answer that question."

"I think I've got to take it in my stride knowing that I've got myself in position where I really have to be a little more careful on things and a little more relaxed," he said. "I've got to stop trying to get caught up in the moment of it all and keep myself very subdued. If it gets into position come Sunday afternoon, I'll probably start thinking about it a little more. Hopefully if that's the case, I'll be able to pull off the shots and be able to [win]."

Still, no less an authority than 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, at the course doing promotional work for a Scottish bank, said Norman's performance has been "amazing."

"Greg has played very little golf," Nicklaus said. "The only thing I'd relate it to is 1986 when I won the Masters [at age 46]. I hadn't played any golf either. But I remembered how to play when I needed to down the stretch. He'll remember how to play, when or if he gets into position to do so."

Villegas has never been in this position either, competing in his first British Open. And despite all of his own late birdie-binge heroics, the University of Florida graduate had to settle for solo third with a two-day total of 1-over 141, two shots behind Choi. Villegas was an alternate this week, but got in the field when American Kenny Perry, the 47-year-old winner of three of his last five tournaments, decided to play a PGA Tour event in Milwaukee.