Kim fades at the finish

SOUTHPORT, England – The born-and-raised Angeleno with the big talent and the large fortitude, Anthony Kim, on Sunday fleetingly seemed as if he actually might up and win his first British Open at 23.

Beginning the day five shots out at seven over par, and holding his ground for hours while others around him toppled, Kim upheld Mark O’Meara’s prediction that he would contend at Royal Birkdale. He bogeyed only one of the first 10 holes and two of the first 15, and his name stayed put, sometimes behind only Padraig Harrington and Greg Norman.

Even given his inexperience in the veritable hurricanes of English summers, it seemed he might notch his third win in three months when his drive on No. 16 went smack amid the fairway and caused one fan to say, in Britspeak, “Ohhh, that’s a cracker!” Then on that green, he took a galling three-putt when his two-foot par try seemed to snicker as it lipped out. That led to three closing bogeys and one toss of the sand wedge even after a brilliant fifth-shot chip on No. 17.

A representative announced afterward that he would appear in the interview tent after a 10-minute “cooling-off period,” but the cooling-off apparently took all evening.

Rising amateur

The Sunday leaderboard briefly boasted a possibility downright mystical. A Wood (if not a Woods) lurked just three shots from the lead – as an amateur.

“It’s been the best week of my life,” said the 6-foot-5 Englishman Chris Wood, 20, after he stoked the imagination and finished tied for fifth with Jim Furyk. His worst score in four days that ravaged more seasoned pros: 75. His three closing days: 70-73-72.

A once-promising soccer player until he got a loose bone in his knee and collapsed getting out of bed one day at 14, Wood doesn’t plan to turn professional as Justin Rose did after finishing fourth as an amateur here in 1998, but his excellence might make a fan of his sister, who telephoned him during the tournament and said, “Are you at that golf thingy?”

Furyk’s No. 1

Furyk wound up the top American, his 77 of Saturday the only odd-man-out in a stellar collection of 71s in wretched conditions. He played the last 16 holes Sunday sans bogey.

More putting woes

A major winner waiting to happen, seven-time PGA Tour winner K.J. Choi began Sunday two shots out of the lead, with charmed British observers counting his weightlifting past and sturdiness as boons for the bullying wind.

Instead, putts got him, 36 of them among his 79 shots as he slipped to 16th. “My putting was bad yesterday and continued today,” he said, but added, “I feel I’m getting close to winning a major.”

Sergio’s big fade

Sergio Garcia, the pre-tournament favorite in Tiger Woods’ absence, came within a six-foot lip-out of winning the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie, then came within about 14 lip-outs and other shots of winning in 2008.

Having botched a sickly array of petite putts through the week, he played an even-par front nine Sunday, then began the back nine with three bogeys and garnished those with two ensuing double-bogeys to plummet to 51st with a 78. “I just went brain-dead,” he said.