Choi well poised for maiden major

One of the most experienced and respected caddies in the business, Prodger said: "If I could build a golfer from all the men I've worked with in 28 years I'd take Faldo's tunnel vision, Monty's ball-striking and Choi's calmness. He'd be a world-beater."

Choi? Choi Kyung-Ju is better known simply as KJ to mates like Tiger Woods. And since the crocked world No1 cannot be beside the Lancashire seaside, it's a fair bet one of those he'll be rooting for over the next four days will be the 37-year-old Korean.

KJ and the artful Prodger, Nick Faldo's caddie for victories in the 1987 Open at Muirfield and the Masters two summers later, make up golf's odd-couple.

The former is uncomfortable making long conversation in English, and his caddie is hardly fluent in Korean. Yet since they first paired up in 2003 they have taken six Tour titles, including this season's Sony Open in Hawaii, risen as high as fifth in the world rankings, and with better fortune might have won the 2004 Masters and last year's Open at Carnoustie.

"I think he goes by my eyes in telling what selections are right or wrong," said 56-year-old Prodger. "I don't suppose he understands everything I say. Sometimes I say one thing and he does the opposite."

Choi, looking to become the first Asian golfer to win a major, knows he is onto a good thing with a caddie whose cosmopolitan CV includes work with such diverse characters as Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gary Player and Colin Montgomerie.

He said: "Andy's like a big brother, uncle or father figure and has a very warm heart. He knows exactly what I'm thinking, when I'm tired, when I'm down.

"He's always saying positive words, you know? When I'm not making birdies, he tells me things like golf is a game of par, don't worry about it, you have a lot of holes to go. He makes me very comfortable. He looks in my eyes in the morning and knows whether I'm tired or not. When it's cold he pulls out a sweater knowing that I need a sweater.

"He knows exactly what I'm thinking and that's a key for us to maintain a very healthy relationship for four or five years. I think that's helping my game tremendously."

Prodger believes that game is suited to the unique links flavour of the Open Championship - they certainly came close at Carnoustie. The caddie said: "KJ could have won the Open last year. He had a two-hole situation where he went double bogey and then missed a birdie on the next hole. If he had parred-birdie he would've been tied for the lead."

Padraig Harrington, who survived Choi's challenge to claim his own maiden major, observed: "The best word to describe KJ is relentless."

"I've played a lot with him over the years. He is very self-confident and goes about his business in his own way. He's a strong player, but that relentlessness is what makes him an intimidating opponent."

Choi's character was shaped by his upbringing as the son of a rice farmer-cum-fisherman living in a one-bedroomed house on the island of Wando, off the southern tip of Korea.

He started playing golf at the age of 15, but travelling to the closest golf course meant rising at three in the morning and being driven for three hours over a bridge to the mainland, where he would hit balls until dark.

"I tried to get in as much as possible," Choi recalled. "Without that urge, without that drive and the motivation to play more, to hit more balls than fellow competitors, I don't think I would be where I am."

Although he is now based in Texas, Choi is huge back home. His manager and translator, Michael Yim, claimed: "KJ is the most high profile Korean athlete in the world of sport right now.

"It used to be Chan Ho Park, a pitcher for the LA Dodgers baseball team, but he is past his prime. And Ji-Sung Park at Manchester United is very popular, but his performances have not matched expectations."

Choi, who had to employ a team of bodyguards to keep fans at bay when he played the Ballantine's Championship in Korea in March, said: "When I'm at a stop light and a car pulls up, and the guy next to me notices who I am and he says 'Hey, KJ, go KJ', it makes me happy.

"There are instances when I'm in a hamburger joint and the employee notices who I am, I notice the service is totally different!"

So he has fame, he has a competent caddie, and he also has religion. Choi said: "The fact that I did get to the top five in the world was not something that I achieved on my own.

"I could not have done it without the help of the Lord, I could not have done it without him. If I can set new goals day by day and fill in the empty spots where I need to, then I can improve. And if I'm not too greedy, then I think the Lord will help me to achieve my other dream, to win a major."

He may have more than a prayer this week.