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Greg Norman

Greg Norman
Personal Information Birth February 10, 1955 (1955-02-10) (age 53)
Mount Isa, Queensland Nationality Australia Wife Laura (married 1981, divorced 2007) Children Morgan Leigh, and Gregory Residence Hobe Sound, Florida Career Turned Pro 1974 Current Tour PGA Tour Professional wins 87 (PGA Tour: 20, European Tour: 14, PGA Tour of Australasia: 33, Other: 22) Best Results in Major Championships
Wins: 2 Masters 2nd/T2: 1986, 1987, 1996 U.S. Open 2nd: 1984, 1995 British Open Won 1986, 1993 PGA Championship 2nd: 1986, 1993 Awards PGA Tour of Australia
Order of Merit Winner 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988 PGA Tour
Money Winner 1986, 1990, 1995 PGA Player of the Year 1995 PGA Tour
Player of the Year 1995 Vardon Trophy 1989, 1990, 1994 Byron Nelson Award 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995 GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award 2008 GWAA Charlie Bartlett Award 2008

Gregory John Norman AM (born February 10, 1955) is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's number one ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s. He is nicknamed "The Great White Shark," or simply "The Shark," a reference to a shark inhabiting Australian waters as well as Norman's size and aggressive golf style.

Contents

Career outline

Norman was born in Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia to Merv --an English-born Australian, and Toini Norman -- of Eastern-Swedish descent. As a youth, he played sports such as rugby and cricket. His mother Toini Norman was a fine golfer who earned a handicap in the low single digits. Greg Norman took up golf for the first time at age 16, and within a year was playing to a scratch handicap. He began his career in golf as a trainee in the Royal Queensland golf shop for the famed Charlie Earp, earning AUD 28 a week.[1] The first professional tournament he won was the 1976 Westlakes Classic in his home country, and he soon moved on to success on the European Tour and later the PGA Tour.

Norman won The Open Championship twice, in 1986 and 1993, and also won The Players Championship in 1994 in record-setting fashion (averaging 68.81 per round for the year). Despite his huge success on the U.S. PGA Tour and his many wins around the world, Norman will be forever regarded as an underachiever (given his talents), a characterization fueled by his myriad near-misses in The Masters, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. He was equally a victim of his own bad luck and good luck on the part of his fellow golfers in major championships. He infamously lost a near-certain PGA Championship in 1986 after Bob Tway holed a greenside bunker shot (though Norman himself shot a 76 that day), and lost The Masters the following year in a playoff on an even more miraculous 45-yard chip shot by Larry Mize on the second play-off hole.

But not all of Norman's Major woes have been at the hands of others. Many times he has failed to perform in the final round of a tournament, whether it be a final-round 78 in the 1996 Masters (see below), a 73 in the 1995 US Open where even-par 70 would have won the tournament, or the 76 in the '86 PGA that set him up to be defeated by Bob Tway's bunker shot. Several of Norman's infamous "chokes" occurred when his wobble-prone putting got the better of him. In 1986, he led all four majors after the third round but won only the British Open. (This is jokingly referred to as the "Norman Slam" or the "Saturday Slam," as in he was leading after the third round on Saturday but lost in the final round on Sunday). He is one of only two players to have competed in - and, like Craig Wood, to have lost - play-offs in all four of the major championships. But perhaps the most embarrassing Norman meltdown of all occurred at The Masters in 1996, where he blew a six-stroke lead in the final round and lost the tournament to Nick Faldo by five strokes, shooting a Sunday 78 to Faldo's 67. ESPN, as part of their "ESPN25" 25th-anniversary celebration, ranked Norman's 1996 Masters mishap as the third-biggest sports choke of the last 25 years. Despite the losses, though, Norman still has 29 top-ten finishes in the majors.

After a career slump in the early 1990s, Norman turned to Butch Harmon, a well-known coach and instructor, for help. Together, the two rebuilt Norman's game to top form (The Pro, by Claude 'Butch' Harmon Jr., 2006) by solving mechanical problems which had crept into Norman's swing.

After Jack Nicklaus left his prime, Norman was regarded as probably the game's greatest long hitter. In his heyday, driving long and incredibly straight off the tee similar to that of Nick Price his contemporary with a persimmon (wood) clubhead, he intimidated most of his fellow professionals. However, with the advent of the "metal-wood" by TaylorMade and other subsequent advances in golf ball and golf club technology (especially the variable face depth driver), his dominance was significantly diminished, as the "new technology" enabled less precise ball-strikers than Norman to achieve equal (or even better) results in accuracy and distance. But whether the cause was shaken confidence, the new technology, or the emergence of golf's next generation of young stars (including Tiger Woods), Norman was never the same after his final Masters collapse. In the years since, Norman has focused more and more on business ventures and golf course design than on competitive play. He turned fifty in February 2005, but has not yet become a regular on the senior golf circuit, because of his other interests, significant back injuries and because he required knee surgery in October 2005 and February 2006.[2]

Norman's friendly image and articulate nature has made him a perfect spokesman for a wide range of products, including the usual array of golf equipment (Greg is part owner of MacGregor Golf), but extending well beyond. While continuing to play tournaments (albeit in an abbreviated schedule), his growing business interests take up an increasing amount of his time. His personal wealth is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars.

Norman's hobbies include offshore game fishing. He has owned a succession of increasingly large and luxurious boats (though his latest, called Aussie Rules, after the sport Australian rules football, may best be described as a small ship) for the purpose. He even described his "ugly" 1993 PGA Championship loss "[i]n fishing terms, this was a mackerel in the moonlight—shining one minute, smelly the next."[3] He became a wine lover in the 1970s while playing at tournaments in Europe.[4] Based in Hobe Sound, Florida, he typically plays only one or two tournaments per year in his homeland of Australia.

Norman won the PGA Tour of Australia's Order of Merit six times: 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1988. He won the European Tour's Order of Merit in 1982, and topped the PGA Tour's Money List in 1986, 1990, and 1995. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average on the PGA Tour three times: 1989, 1990, and 1994; and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001. His dominance over his peers (despite his comparative lack of success in the majors) was probably best expressed in the Official World Golf Rankings: Norman finished the season on top of the ranking list on seven occasions, in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996 and 1997, and was second at the end of 1988, 1993 and 1994.

In May 2008, Norman played in only his third Champion's Tour event since turning 50, the 69th Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. Norman, having not played competitive golf regularly in the last several years, stayed in contention all week and wound up three shots behind eventual winner Jay Haas (+7), tying for sixth place. His soon-to-be wife, tennis legend Chris Evert, has been a large part of Norman's consideration to enter events on the PGA and Champions tour. "I would doubt he'd go back full time," Evert said. "But for him to keep it up, one or two tournaments a month or whatever, would be great. I would 100 per cent support him if that's what he wanted to do."

In 1986, Norman was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award, a feat he replicated in 1993 to join Muhammad Ali and Björn Borg as multiple winners (They have since been joined by Roger Federer). He received the 2008 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor, at the 2008 Golf Industry Show in Orlando. Norman is a member of The Environmental Institute for Golf's board of trustees and also chairs The Institute's advisory council. He was the also the recipient of the Golf Writers Association of America's 2008 Charlie Bartlett Award.

Personal life

Greg attended Aspley State High School on the north side of Brisbane, Queensland.[5] He married an American flight attendant named Laura Andrassy on July 1, 1981.[6] They have two children: Morgan Leigh (born October 5, 1982[7] in the U.S.)[8], and Gregory (born September 9, 1985.[7] The family lived in Hobe Sound, Florida. His daughter Morgan attended Boston College, majored in English, and for a short while dated golfer Sergio García.[9] His son Gregory graduated from the University of Miami, majoring in international business and marketing.

In May 2006 Greg Norman announced that he would be getting divorced.[10][11] He refused to comment on the reasons for this, other than to say there was no third party involved. Greg Norman's net worth is estimated at $500 million.

Norman had attempted to "starve out" his wife Laura by canceling her credit cards and changing the locks to their $35 million home. This was done in an attempt to force Laura to slash the $300 million divorce settlement which was originally agreed to in June 2006. Norman's legal team also sent Laura a letter stating Norman's refusal to provide his wife with any more financial funds to continue her legal representation unless she agreed to a reduced amount of the divorce settlement.[12][13]

In September 2007 Norman announced his intention to marry former tennis champ Chris Evert[14]. The couple became engaged on Sunday, December 9, 2007. Evert has been married twice: to British tennis player John Lloyd (1979-87) and former American ski racer Andy Mill (1988-2006), with whom she has three sons. After Chris's divorce, Mill wished Evert and Greg Norman 'happiness'.

Transport

Norman and his wife commissioned the 228 ft luxury yacht "Aussie Rules", built by Australia ferry builder Austal/Oceanfast. The boat held four sports boats, including a 60ft custom sportfisherman, along with stowage for related gear: 200 rods. Built of aluminium, she could cruise at 15 knots with a range of 8,000 Nm.[15] The boat cost $70 million, but resulted in Austal making an AUS$18 million loss. The boat was quickly sold by Norman in 2004 for a rumored $77 million to the founder of Blockbuster Video, Wayne Huizenga.[16] She is now renamed M/Y Floridian, and available for charter at $400 000 per week or sale.[17]

Norman was also an early customer for the Boeing Business Jet, which he had ordered with custom fitted bedroom and office. However, the downturn in the Asian markets adversely affected his golf course design business, and he later cancelled the order after acting as an ambassador for Boeing[18] He eventually retained his Gulfstream V.[19]

Major Championships

Wins (2)

Year Championship 54 Holes Winning Score Margin Runners Up 1986The Open Championship1 shot lead E (74-63-74-69=280) 5 strokes Gordon J. Brand1993The Open Championship(2) 1 shot deficit -13 (66-68-69-64=267) 2 strokes Nick Faldo

Results timeline

Norman had 29 top-ten finishes in the majors between 1979 and 1999. In 2005 he qualified to play on the Champions Tour. He may continue to enter some majors as a senior, but is unlikely to contend for further major titles.

Tournament 1977 1978 1979 The MastersDNP DNP DNP U.S. OpenDNP DNP T48 The Open ChampionshipCUT T29 T10 PGA ChampionshipDNP DNP DNP
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 The MastersDNP 4 T36 T30 T25 T47 T2 T2 T5 T3 U.S. OpenDNP T33 DNP T50 2 T15 T12 T51 WD T33 The Open ChampionshipCUT T31 T27 T19 T6 T16 1 T35 DNP T2 PGA ChampionshipDNP T4 T5 T42 T39 CUT 2 70 T9 T12
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 The MastersCUT CUT T6 T31 T18 T3 2 CUT CUT 3 U.S. OpenT5 WD DNP CUT T6 2 T10 CUT DNP CUT The Open ChampionshipT6 T9 18 1 T11 T15 T7 T36 DNP 6 PGA ChampionshipT19 T32 T15 2 T4 T20 T17 T13 DNP CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 The MastersT11 CUT T36 DNP DNP DNP U.S. OpenCUT DNP T59 DNP DNP DNP The Open ChampionshipDNP DNP T18 T18 CUT T60 PGA ChampionshipCUT T29 T53 CUT DNP DNP

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary of major championship performances

  • Starts - 88
  • Wins - 2
  • 2nd place finishes - 8
  • Top 3 finishes - 13
  • Top 5 finishes - 19
  • Top 10 finishes - 29
  • Longest streak of top-10s in majors - 3

Professional wins (87)

PGA Tour wins (20)

Major championships are shown in bold.

European Tour wins (14)

Wins in Australia (33)

Other wins (22)

Team appearances

  • Dunhill Cup (representing Australia): 1985 (winners), 1986 (winners), 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996
  • Presidents Cup (International team): 1994 (withdrew), 1996, 1998 (winners), 2000
  • Hennessy Cognac Cup: 1982
  • Nissan Cup: 1985, 1986
  • Kirin Cup: 1987
  • Four Tours: 1989

See also

References

  1. ^ Legacy of an Australian idol, The Sun-Herald, 11 July, 2004.
  2. ^ Rusty Norman withdraws from Open, BBC Sport, 4 July 2006.
  3. ^ The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations, ed. Jim Apfelbaum. 2007.
  4. ^ "Drinking and Driving". Fortune, November 14, 2005, pages 110–111.
  5. ^ Norman Takes State Junior Golf Title
  6. ^ Norman To Be Honored By American Australian Association
  7. ^ a b 2002 U.S. Open - Players - Greg Norman
  8. ^ Spanish golfer dating Norman's daughter - Breaking News - Sport - Breaking News
  9. ^ Sergio's a great guy - Norman | PerthNow
  10. ^ Greg Norman Agrees to Divorce Settlement : Divorce Blog : StraightDivorce.com : Dallas Texas Divorce Attorneys
  11. ^ It's over - but we'll always remain friends - Golf - Sport - smh.com.au
  12. ^ Is Shark now the Great White Rat? | NEWS.com.au
  13. ^ The Age: national, world, business, entertainment, sport and technology news from Melbourne's leading newspaper
  14. ^ Greg Norman's £50m divorce deal leaves him free to marry Chris Evert | the Daily Mail
  15. ^ Oceanfast Megayacht Aussie Rules - Power & Motoryacht - The Courage of His Convictions
  16. ^ Surging sails
  17. ^ Floridian (ex Aussie Rules) - Luxury Motor Yacht
  18. ^ No new plane for Norman
  19. ^ http://www.golfdigest.com/majors/masters/index.ssf?/majors/masters/gd200204norman.html

External links

v • d • eWorld Number ones since 1986

Seve Ballesteros | Fred Couples | David Duval | Ernie Els | Nick Faldo | Bernhard Langer | Tom Lehman | Greg Norman | Nick Price | Vijay Singh | Tiger Woods †| Ian Woosnam 

† Tiger Woods (USA) is the current World No. 1, and has spent the most weeks in that position, currently over 480.
v • d • eThe Open champions

1860 Willie Park, Snr. · 1861 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1862 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1863 Willie Park, Snr. · 1864 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1865 Andrew Strath · 1866 Willie Park, Snr. · 1867 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1868 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1869 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1870 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1871 No championship · 1872 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1873 Tom Kidd · 1874 Mungo Park · 1875 Willie Park, Snr. · 1876 Bob Martin · 1877 Jamie Anderson · 1878 Jamie Anderson · 1879 Jamie Anderson · 1880 Bob Ferguson · 1881 Bob Ferguson · 1882 Bob Ferguson · 1883 Willie Fernie · 1884 Jack Simpson · 1885 Bob Martin · 1886 David Brown · 1887 Willie Park, Jnr. · 1888 Jack Burns · 1889 Willie Park, Jnr. · 1890 John Ball · 1891 Hugh Kirkaldy · 1892 Harold Hilton · 1893 William Auchterlonie · 1894 John Henry Taylor · 1895 John Henry Taylor · 1896 Harry Vardon · 1897 Harold Hilton · 1898 Harry Vardon · 1899 Harry Vardon · 1900 John Henry Taylor · 1901 James Braid · 1902 Sandy Herd · 1903 Harry Vardon · 1904 Jack White · 1905 James Braid · 1906 James Braid · 1907 Arnaud Massy · 1908 James Braid · 1909 John Henry Taylor · 1910 James Braid · 1911 Harry Vardon · 1912 Edward Ray · 1913 John Henry Taylor · 1914 Harry Vardon · 1915-19 No Championships due to World War I · 1920 George Duncan · 1921 Jock Hutchison · 1922 Walter Hagen · 1923 Arthur Havers · 1924 Walter Hagen · 1925 Jim Barnes · 1926 Bobby Jones · 1927 Bobby Jones · 1928 Walter Hagen · 1929 Walter Hagen · 1930 Bobby Jones· 1931 Tommy Armour · 1932 Gene Sarazen · 1933 Denny Shute · 1934 Henry Cotton · 1935 Alf Perry · 1936 Alf Padgham · 1937 Henry Cotton · 1938 Reg Whitcombe · 1939 Richard Burton · 1940-45 No Championships due to World War II · 1946 Sam Snead · 1947 Fred Daly · 1948 Henry Cotton · 1949 Bobby Locke · 1950 Bobby Locke · 1951 Max Faulkner · 1952 Bobby Locke · 1953 Ben Hogan · 1954 Peter Thomson · 1955 Peter Thomson · 1956 Peter Thomson · 1957 Bobby Locke · 1958 Peter Thomson · 1959 Gary Player · 1960 Kel Nagle · 1961 Arnold Palmer · 1962 Arnold Palmer · 1963 Bob Charles · 1964 Tony Lema · 1965 Peter Thomson · 1966 Jack Nicklaus · 1967 Roberto DeVicenzo · 1968 Gary Player · 1969 Tony Jacklin · 1970 Jack Nicklaus · 1971 Lee Trevino · 1972 Lee Trevino · 1973 Tom Weiskopf · 1974 Gary Player · 1975 Tom Watson · 1976 Johnny Miller · 1977 Tom Watson · 1978 Jack Nicklaus · 1979 Severiano Ballesteros · 1980 Tom Watson · 1981 Bill Rogers · 1982 Tom Watson · 1983 Tom Watson · 1984 Severiano Ballesteros · 1985 Sandy Lyle · 1986 Greg Norman · 1987 Nick Faldo · 1988 Severiano Ballesteros · 1989 Mark Calcavecchia · 1990 Nick Faldo · 1991 Ian Baker-Finch · 1992 Nick Faldo · 1993 Greg Norman · 1994 Nick Price · 1995 John Daly · 1996 Tom Lehman · 1997 Justin Leonard · 1998 Mark O'Meara · 1999 Paul Lawrie · 2000 Tiger Woods · 2001 David Duval · 2002 Ernie Els · 2003 Ben Curtis · 2004 Todd Hamilton · 2005 Tiger Woods · 2006 Tiger Woods · 2007 Pádraig Harrington

v • d • ePGA and PGA Tour Players of the Year

PGA Players of the Year
1948 Ben Hogan · 1949 Sam Snead · 1950 Ben Hogan · 1951 Ben Hogan · 1952 Julius Boros · 1953 Ben Hogan · 1954 Ed Furgol · 1955 Doug Ford · 1956 Jack Burke, Jr. · 1957 Dick Mayer · 1958 Dow Finsterwald · 1959 Art Wall, Jr. · 1960 Arnold Palmer · 1961 Jerry Barber · 1962 Arnold Palmer · 1963 Julius Boros · 1964 Ken Venturi · 1965 Dave Marr · 1966 Billy Casper · 1967 Jack Nicklaus · 1968 No award · 1969 Orville Moody · 1970 Billy Casper · 1971 Lee Trevino · 1972 Jack Nicklaus · 1973 Jack Nicklaus · 1974 Johnny Miller · 1975 Jack Nicklaus · 1976 Jack Nicklaus · 1977 Tom Watson · 1978 Tom Watson · 1979 Tom Watson · 1980 Tom Watson · 1981 Bill Rogers · 1982 Tom Watson · 1983 Hal Sutton · 1984 Tom Watson · 1985 Lanny Wadkins · 1986 Bob Tway · 1987 Paul Azinger · 1988 Curtis Strange · 1989 Tom Kite · 1990 Nick Faldo · 1991 Corey Pavin · 1992 Fred Couples · 1993 Nick Price · 1994 Nick Price · 1995 Greg Norman · 1996 Tom Lehman · 1997 Tiger Woods · 1998 Mark O'Meara · 1999 Tiger Woods · 2000 Tiger Woods · 2001 Tiger Woods · 2002 Tiger Woods · 2003 Tiger Woods · 2004 Vijay Singh · 2005 Tiger Woods · 2006 Tiger Woods · 2007 Tiger Woods

PGA Tour Players of the Year
1990 Wayne Levi · 1991 Fred Couples · 1992 Fred Couples · 1993 Nick Price · 1994 Nick Price · 1995 Greg Norman · 1996 Tom Lehman · 1997 Tiger Woods · 1998 Mark O'Meara · 1999 Tiger Woods · 2000 Tiger Woods · 2001 Tiger Woods · 2002 Tiger Woods · 2003 Tiger Woods · 2004 Vijay Singh · 2005 Tiger Woods · 2006 Tiger Woods · 2007 Tiger Woods

v • d • eEuropean Tour Order of Merit winners1971 Peter Oosterhuis • 1972 Peter Oosterhuis • 1973 Peter Oosterhuis • 1974 Peter Oosterhuis • 1975 Dale Hayes • 1976 Seve Ballesteros • 1977 Seve Ballesteros • 1978 Seve Ballesteros • 1979 Sandy Lyle • 1980 Sandy Lyle • 1981 Bernhard Langer • 1982 Greg Norman • 1983 Nick Faldo • 1984 Bernhard Langer • 1985 Sandy Lyle • 1986 Seve Ballesteros • 1987 Ian Woosnam • 1988 Seve Ballesteros • 1989 Ronan Rafferty • 1990 Ian Woosnam • 1991 Seve Ballesteros • 1992 Nick Faldo • 1993 Colin Montgomerie • 1994 Colin Montgomerie • 1995 Colin Montgomerie • 1996 Colin Montgomerie • 1997 Colin Montgomerie • 1998 Colin Montgomerie • 1999 Colin Montgomerie • 2000 Lee Westwood • 2001 Retief Goosen • 2002 Retief Goosen • 2003 Ernie Els • 2004 Ernie Els • 2005 Colin Montgomerie • 2006 Pádraig Harrington • 2007 Justin Rose
Categories: Scandinavian Australians | Swedish Australians | Australian golfers | European Tour golfers | PGA Tour golfers | PGA Tour of Australasia golfers | Winners of men's major golf championships | Members of the Order of Australia | Members of the World Golf Hall of Fame | Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees | 1955 births | Living people | People from Queensland | Golf course architects

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