SOUTHPORT, England — Chris Wood became the latest amateur to find success at Royal Birkdale, a decade after Justin Rose’s spectacular chip on the 72nd hole gave him a share of fourth at the British Open.
Wood survived getting stuck in a bunker to finish in a tie for fifth Sunday, showing signs he has the potential to follow his fellow Englishman into the pro ranks.
Just not yet. Unlike Rose, who was 17 when he had his eye-catching finish in 1998, turned pro a day later and then went 21 tournaments without making a cut, Wood isn’t rushing into things.
“Not at the moment, no,” the 20-year-old said after his 2-over 72 left him at 10-over for the tournament, seven behind Padraig Harrington. “I’m having a week off.”
The gangly, 6-foot-5 Wood played soccer when he was growing up but gave up thoughts of becoming a star after a serious knee injury.
“I couldn’t play for ages, lost interest in football and obviously had a lot more time to practice my golf,” he said. “Every year I’ve improved so far.”
Wood was awarded the silver medal as the leading amateur finisher, and clearly wasn’t comfortable with all the extra attention.
“I don’t know what to say, to be honest,” he said. “I haven’t had time to think about anything at the moment.”
Whatever works.
With a cool breeze gusting off the Irish Sea, most players went with a couple of layers of clothing — or at least a long-sleeve shirt.
Not Harrington.
The champion teed off in a navy sweater, but he shed it on the way to the second hole. Harrington played the rest of the round in short sleeves — even when the wind started howling.
“I did think it was cold today, but I was comfortable swinging in a shirt and I did not want to change any feeling that I had,” he said. “I definitely did need to put a sweater on. It was cold at times, but you never change anything when it’s working OK. I was going to stick with what I had. It was going nicely.”
Ryder Cup update.
Steve Stricker made the most out of narrowly making the cut.
Stricker, who was 11th in the Ryder Cup standings, went 71-73 on the weekend and tied for seventh. That was worth 387 points, and moved him up to No. 9. The top nine after the PGA in three weeks qualify for the team because Tiger Woods is not playing.
Jim Furyk earned 719 points for his tie for fifth, moving him closer to clinching a spot at No. 5.
Els bounces back.
After an opening-round 80, Ernie Els rebounded to finish tied for seventh.
Next up for Els is a trip to Las Vegas to meet with swing coach Butch Harmon with hopes of ending an 0-for-23 drought in the majors, the longest of his career.
Denver Post wire services
