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To: altair19 who wrote (72276)	7/18/2008 5:56:41 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 104155

Choi one ahead of Norman at British Open _______________________________________________________________ 07/18 17:20:23 ET -- Southport, England (Sports Network) - K.J. Choi birdied his final two holes Friday to take the second-round lead at the British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Choi shot a three-under 67 to become the only player under par at the season's third major championship. He finished 36 holes at one-under 139 and is one clear of 53-year-old two-time former winner Greg Norman. Choi was two shots off Sergio Garcia's second-round lead last year at Carnoustie, but tied for eighth place. He has never won a major championship and feels he has the game plan to finally break through. "In majors, it's the middle of the greens," said Choi, a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour. "Hitting the greens is very important. I've got good experience in 10 years." He only hit 13 greens on Friday, but still moved one ahead of the amazing Norman. "The Shark" shot his second consecutive, even-par 70 on Friday. Norman started off with a birdie at the first hole, but fell victim to the diabolical par-four sixth, which played almost a full stroke over par on Thursday. He drove into the left rough at six and could only advance the ball into the tall grass short and right of the green. Norman walked off with a double-bogey six to fall to one-over for the championship. Norman responded in the same fashion that made him the No. 1 player through a good chunk of the 1990s. He hit a four-iron to 15 feet to set up birdie at the seventh, then rolled in an eight-footer for birdie at No. 8. The back-to-back birdies immediately erased the double-bogey and got Norman under par. Norman did not give himself many chances at birdie from there. He sank a seven-foot par save at the 11th, then was threatened with a demanding bunker shot at No. 16. "An exercise in exercise," joked Norman about his stance at 16. For his third, Norman had to stand with legs far apart well above the ball. He blasted out to six feet and converted the par save. He could not do the same at the par-five 17th. An errant drive led to an errant second shot and Norman eventually hit his fourth over the green into a bunker. The Aussie did his best to pitch out to 12 feet, then drained the bogey putt to stay in the lead at even par. At the closing hole, Norman drove into the left first cut and tried to muscle up a pitching-wedge from 167 yards. He came up 25 feet short, but hammered his putt 20 feet past the hole and onto the fringe. Norman ran home the par save to get into second. "At least I had a good read on the putt coming back," kidded Norman. "I kept my mind very quiet. It was all I could do. Obviously, I didn't hit a great putt, but the follow up was right there. "I haven't been here in a long time and again, I'm a realist. But, there's a lot of things you dig out from inside you." The conditions were better on Friday and Phil Mickelson benefited. He shot a two-under 69 and finished at seven-over, well within the 36-hole cut line. "Anything can happen," said Mickelson, who missed the cut last year at Carnoustie. "I'm still fighting. Tomorrow if I can get off to a good start and maybe get a little break with the weather, you never know if it turns bad in the afternoon." Overall the weather conditions were better than Thursday, but there was some rain and heavy wind in the morning. No one handled the adverse elements better than Camilo Villegas He birdied his last five holes on Friday for a five-under 65 and is in third place at plus-one Defending champion Padraig Harrington finished with a flurry on Friday, picking up four strokes in his last four holes. He shot a two-under 68 and is tied for fifth place with all three first-round leaders -- Rocco Mediate, Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby -- as well as Jim Furyk, Alexander Noren and another name from the past, 2001 winner David Duval. "I've been expecting to play quite well for some time," admitted Duval, who made his second cut in 13 starts this year. "I know it's a funny story, it's a little different. I've said I'm playing a lot better than my golf has shown." They have their work cut out for them to catch Choi on the weekend. Choi bogeyed the first hole, but got the stroke back with a tap-in birdie at No. 3. He parred his next nine holes, including a great save at 11 from a nearly unplayable lie. Choi birdied the 13th for the second day in a row to find himself one out of first. He split the fairway at the par-five 17th and reached the green in two. Choi gave himself a 25-footer for sole possession of the lead, but pulled the putt. He tapped in to match Norman at even-par. At the closing hole, Choi drove into the left rough and his caddie talked him into a pitching-wedge instead of a nine-iron. The decision paid off when Choi played his approach 18 feet short of the stick. Choi sank the birdie putt for the outright lead. The cut fell at nine-over 149 and three top-10 players in the world will have the weekend off. Stewart Cink (150), Geoff Ogilvy (151) and Vijay Singh (151) all fell short of the cut line.