Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

AMERICA AT LARGE:ALTHOUGH HE celebrated his 23rd birthday a few weeks ago, he looks so much younger that earlier this week he was mistaken for a participant in a clinic for junior golfers taking place on the Southport course. He is American born and bred, but is sufficiently anonymous on this side of the Atlantic that the other day someone took one look at him and wondered whether his exemption for the 137th Open Championship had come via the Asian Tour Order of Merit or for placing in the Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic.

When he tees it up (with Masters champion Trevor Immelman and Denmark's Soren Hansen) at 1:42 this afternoon in the 39th game of the day, Anthony Kim will be playing in his first British Open. He probably won't win - the nine holes he played in a practice round after arriving at Royal Birkdale last Sunday represented the first nine holes of links golf he'd played in his life - but, in the minds of many, Kim represents not only the future of American golf, but the closest thing to a domestic rival Tiger Woods may have for years to come.