Neither was David Duval.

Indeed, Royal Birkdale proved to be fertile ground for fairy tales yesterday.

K.J. Choi rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the final hole for a 3-under 67 in more gloom and wind along the Irish Sea, giving him his first lead in a major championship. It will be the second straight year he plays in the final group at the British Open going into the weekend.

But the biggest surprises were right behind him, starting with a pair of British Open champions who once were No. 1 in the world.

Norman barely touched a club in the month leading up to his 26th appearance in golf's oldest championship. The 53-year-old married tennis great Chris Evert three weeks ago, and a trip to England counts as the tail end of his honeymoon.

He wound up renewing his love affair with links golf, delivering great escapes over his final three holes for a par 70 that put his name atop the leader board for most of the afternoon until Choi birdied the final two holes.

Choi was at 1-under 139, a shot ahead of Norman.

"My expectations were almost nil coming in, to tell you the truth," Norman said. "My expectations are still realistically low."

His last victory was 10 years ago in Australia at the Greg Norman Holden International. He hasn't been this close to the lead at the halfway point of a major since he was leading the '96 Masters.

Duval knows that feeling.

His last victory was the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan at the end of 2001, the year he won his only major, at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. What followed was a mysterious slump that included a half-dozen coaches, precious few rounds under par, and an aloof player who found happiness in marriage and children.

For those waiting for another collapse, Duval never showed a hint of it.

He chipped in for birdie at No. 11, kept damage to only a bogey when he found a pot bunker off the tee on the 13th, and bounced back with another birdie on the par-3 14th.

"I've been working toward greatness, not just getting back to making cuts and managing to play halfway decent," said Duval, who had made only one cut in 11 starts this year before arriving at Royal Birkdale.

"That story is yet to be told as to whether I can get back to that point or not."

This wonderful story unfolding at Birkdale still has a long way to go.

It starts with Choi, a 37-year-old from South Korea who didn't think much of golf until a high school teacher handed him an instructional book by Jack Nicklaus. A seven-time winner on the PGA Tour - the most of any Asian - he overcame a bogey on the first hole to play flawlessly in a steady 20-m.p.h. wind and occasional rain.

"I think today was probably my best round I've ever played at the British Open," said Choi, who trailed Sergio Garcia by 2 shots going into the third round at Carnoustie last year before finishing in a tie for eighth.

The best finish belonged to Camilo Villegas of Colombia, whose lone victory came last year in Japan.

A marketing dream, Villegas is known as "Spider-Man" for splaying his body horizontally to read putts at surface level. He made everything over the final five holes - all birdies - for a tournament-best 65 and two shots behind.

Villegas, who got into the British Open as an alternate when Kenny Perry decided not to come, was at 141.

Duval and a half-dozen others were at 2-over 142.

Padraig Harrington, the defending champion, injured his right wrist and wasn't sure he could even tee it up Thursday. All he did was play his final four holes yesterday in 4 under and shoot 68 to be 3 shots out of the lead.

Now he's in decent shape as he tries to become the first European to win consecutive British Opens since James Braid in 1905-06.

Others at 142 included former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk, Robert Allenby, Graeme McDowell and Alexander Noren, a Swede who attended Oklahoma State.

Lacking desire? Jack Nicklaus noticed the old faces atop the leader board during a brief visit to the British Open yesterday, making him wonder whether younger players have too much money and not enough desire.

"If they don't win, they still walk home with a big check," Nicklaus said.

The Golden Bear was at the Open on behalf of the Royal Bank of Scotland, one of his endorsement deals. Those kinds of contracts weren't available to everyone when Nicklaus turned pro in 1962, and he said only a few of the top golfers could make money off the course.

"When we played golf, it wasn't to make a living," Nicklaus said. "It was to make a name for yourself so you could make a living."

The British Open winner will earn about $1.5 million, more than 25 percent of Nicklaus' career earnings on the PGA Tour. And just about everyone in the field has endorsements on his cap, bag or clothing.

"The kids today play perfect conditions every week. If they don't like what's going on, they're finishing 10th or 15th and still make a check," he said. "I don't think it makes them as tough."

Follow the Open on the live leader board at go.philly.com/golf.