Shark Tales

Text: Liezl Geldenhuys. Article from the July 2014 issue of Compleat Golder Magazine.

Ill-fated Greg Norman’s tremendous career has suffered as much as it has been celebrated. But, luck aside, he remains one of the best golfers of his generation.

Gregory John Norman

Born 10 February 1955

Turned Pro 1976

First Win 1976 West Lakes Classic

Careers Wins 89

Majors 2

Masters 12 1986, 1987, 1996

US Open 2nd 1984,1995

Open Championship Won 1986,1993

PGA Championship 2nd 1986, 1993

I here are no ifs, ands or buts in this game. You have to take what happens. You have to swallow the pill now and then.”

An incredible point of view for a man whose momentous career has been so inextricably linked to myriad ifs and buts. As unfortunate as he is brilliant, Greg Norman has left a distinct golfing legacy in his wake.

In 1986, the stamp of the Great White Shark on golf was so significant that the season was named after him and is now better known as the ‘Norman Slam’ In every Major of the year, Norman started Sunday off by leading his peers. Alas, he succeeded in conquering only Turnberry in the 1986 Open Championship, the first of just two Major victories of his career.

On the final hole of the 1986 Masters, Norman was tied for first place with Jack Nicklaus. Needing par to force a playoff, Norman botched a risky shot. His bogey was only enough for him to finish second – the first of three times he would be runner-up in the Masters. He finished his final round in the 1986 US Open at Shinnecock Hills with a 75, ending in tie-12th. In the PGA Championship at Inverness, Norman’s main match BobTway made a miraculous chip-in on the final hole, and the Australian’s disastrous final round of 76 faltered in comparison. Norman’s misfortunes weren’t confined to a single season, however.

The next Major, the 1987 Masters, saw him in another playoff with Larry Mize, who had a stunning 42-metre chip-in on the second hole, while Norman didn’t sink his birdie putt.

In another playoff in the 1989 Open Championship, Mark Calcavecchia walked off with the Claret Jug after Norman got caught in one of Royal Troon’s bunkers. Following these mishaps, Norman barely believed it himself when he finally won his second and last Major, the 1993 Open Championship at Royal St George’s.

Soon thereafter, Norman found himself in contention for the 1993 PGA Championship, held again

“As unfortunate as he is brilliant, Greg Norman has left a distinct golfing legacy in his wake.”

at Inverness; however, Paul Azinger triumphed over Norman on the second playoff hole. With the loss, Norman joined Craig Wood as one of the only players in tour history to have lost in playoffs in all four Major tournaments. The last and worst of Norman’s near misses occurred in the now infamous 1996 Masters. Starting Sunday as the leader once again, he suffered one of the worst chokes in golfing history when he shot 6 over par in the final round. Despite this series of unfortunate events, Norman still managed to be one of the most prominent players in the ’80s and ’90s. The 331 weeks he spent as the top-ranked player in the world between 1986 and 1995 are a testament to his greatness.

Norman turned pro in 1976, at age 21, but he had picked up the game when he was only 16. He was an instant star, playing off scratch just two years later. By the time he joined the USTourin 1983, Norman had already experienced two Australian Masters wins and topped the European Tour money-list. Soon after, in 1986, he was added to the Sport Australia Golf Hall of Fame. By 1990 Norman had topped the US Tour money-list twice, garnered two Vardon Trophies (leading stroke average) and two of his five Byron Nelson Awards (adjusted stroke average), and with his sixth and final victory had broken the record for most Australian Masters ever won by a single player.

During the remainder of the decade, he won one more Vardon Trophy, was named both the Money Leader and Player of the Year in 1995, and played in The Presidents Cup four times. After sustaining hip and shoulder injuries in 1998, Norman stepped away from the US Tour when the ’90s came to a close.

The ’90s also saw Norman’s entrepreneurial expansion. While most golfers go the route of starting companies after retirement, Norman has surpassed most of his peers by building an empire. Great White Shark Enterprises has branched out to include real estate, clothing lines, winemaking, course design and even meat production. In 2012 he started his own institute, the Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “I’m not an expert in business and business knowledge,” Norman said of his success. “I never went to college. I just trusted my instincts.”

Norman was added to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001. Since 2005 he has made occasional appearances on the Champions Tour, and in 2009 and 2011 he served as the captain of The Presidents Cup international team.

Looking back on his terrible luck now, Norman seems to be anything but resentful. The Aussie is simply resigned to his fate.

“I wouldn’t call it bitter. I think it’s just sweet. I’ve always believed my life seems like it’s got better and better as each decade has gone by. So I don’t see any bitterness about it.”

Greg’s quotes:

• “Listen, it’s not about the gear. Winning is about what’s in your heart and in your head.”
• “I never feared anything or anyone on the course, and I wasn’t afraid to fail.”
• “I’ve really got no complaints about the way I played, just extremely frustrating with the putter, and I’m sure there’s a lot of other players saying the same thing, except the guy who’s going to win the golf tournament.”
• “I always wanted to be the best I could be at whatever I did. I didn’t want to be the No 1 golfer in the world. I just wanted to be as good as I could be. I work hard, I push myself hard, and I probably even expect too much of myself.”