LYTHAM, England (AFP) ― One year after Darren Clarke captured an unlikely British Open title at age 42, South Korea’s Choi Kyung-ju hopes to give the Open back-to-back 42-year-old winners and a first-ever Asian champion.

Choi hopes to become the second Asian man to win a major title, after fellow South Korean Yang Yong-eun’s groundbreaking 2009 PGA Championship triumph, but he knows patience will be the key to handle the test offered at Royal Lytham.

World No. 34 Choi shared eighth at the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie and was the 36-hole leader in 2008 at Royal Birkdale before settling for a share of 16th place.

“Twice I was near the winning score, but the last day I had a lot of trouble,” Choi said. “This year, I will try to keep my patience and to keep my score.”

Choi, who owns eight PGA victories, posted his best showing in a major with a third-place finish at the 2004 Masters. But this season, he has cracked the top 10 only once, although he has three top-20s in his past five events.

“Getting older, it feels different,” Choi said. “Catching the ball on the club is different. This year has been a little slow, but still a survival. This is my fourth week in a row and I’m a bit jetlagged but the energy is good.”

Choi has been working with swing coach Steve Bahn to handle the diverse shotmaking required to cope with the dense rough and 206 pot bunkers scattered across Royal Lytham.