October 20th, 2008
Greg Norman - courting greatness
Greg Norman’s performance at the Open last summer was as refreshing as a cold beer on a summer’s day. It even overshadowed the stunning play of Padraig Harrington who shouldered his way past his opponents over the last nine holes to defend his title successfully.
Greg Norman, five months after his 53rd birthday, was one stroke off the lead after 36 holes, leading by two strokes after 54 holes, before eventually finishing tied for third.
At Southport, Norman was a throw back. We suddenly realised we had been missing the stardust that accompanies him wherever he goes. KJ Choi, Camilo Villegas, Rocco Mediate were good stories for the first three days but the star among the stars was Norman, a former world No.1.
Never far from his side was the former Chris Evert, holder of 18 Grand Slam singles tennis titles, a former world No.1, and now the current Chris Norman after their marriage on the edge of the Atlantic ocean at the One & Only resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas two weeks earlier. Their honeymoon was a world tour featuring a game drive in South Africa, the Pyramids in Egypt, and a chilly Scottish castle.
It was a marriage of wealth; Evert being worth US$25million allegedly and Norman perhaps 10 times as much before he had to pay £50million as a settlement to his former wife. “I think the beauty of our relationship is the respect, because that never dies” the new Mrs Norman told Hello magazine after the ceremony. “Sometimes passion can dim a little but once the respect is there, it’s always there. We both feel that way towards one another. We are kindred spirits.”
One of their mutual attractions was the recognition of one another as sporting champions. “There is only one person who knows how hard it is to get to the top, to be number one in the world,” Greg said in Hello magazine where photographs of their £500,000 wedding appeared. “You can have your supporting cast around you but you’re the one who has got to make it happen. When you climb that mountain there is nobody to talk to, not your best friend, not even your spouse or your significant other. You have to do it all on your own.
“Chrissie and I had followed each other’s careers for 30-odd years. And when we got to know each other it was almost a cathartic experience where you could sit down and talk about your successes and failures and have somebody go ‘I know exactly how you feel.’ It’s a unique situation.”
Which pigeon hole do we put Greg Norman into these days? Course designer? Obviously. He has dozens of them on the go. Businessman? Definitely, with commercial interests from developing turf grass to making wine and building restaurants to sell the wine in, to his own line of clothing. The Great White Shark symbol is everywhere. “I don’t consider myself different from a Wall Street industrialist,” Norman says. “I just left my mark in the sports section rather than the business pages.”
“I don’t consider myself different from a Wall Street industrialist. I just left my mark in the sports section rather than the business pages”
But golfer? Is he still the man who was world No.1 for 331 weeks, who won nearly 90 tournaments worldwide, including two Opens? Sort of. He had arrived at the Open with only 15 rounds of golf under his belt this year. Hardly at competitive pitch, then. He plays more tennis than golf. But his performance at Southport was a reminder of his natural talent. Norman has bags of natural talent combined with a rare drive.
“There is nothing I have seen him do - fish, ski, hunt - that he doesn’t do well,” Scott McCarron, the American golfer, says of his friend. “I haven’t seen him on ice skates but he’s probably great at that. He’s like the US Army. He gets more done by nine in the morning than the rest of us do all day.”
Money, sporting talent, good looks, an outgoing personality, private jets, fast cars, access to politicians, prime ministers and presidents - Norman had all these and he didn’t always wear them lightly. At Southport, there were occasional reminders that jealous fellow professionals mockingly referred to him not as The Great White Shark but the Great White Fish Finger.
In July, he looked even fitter than he used to be. Chrissie talked admiringly of the triangle formed by his shoulders, once described by David Graham, his fellow Australian, as being as wide as a barn door, and his waist, which without too much exaggeration could now be described as being wasp thin. “Greg has the brain of a 53-year-old and the body of a 23-year-old” says Justin Rose.
Marrying a tennis star has helped Norman. It might even have contributed to the way he competed so well in the Open. “I said to her the other day that the tennis we’ve been playing has been the best thing for me because it keeps me loose. It is good for the cardiovascular, good for my lower back because it keeps it strong.”
“I wish I had Chrissie’s level of success. She won about 154 tournaments. She’s won 91 per cent of the matches she has ever played. If I won 91 per cent of the time I went out there and played golf, I’d be pretty good I’d say”
There is an undoubted rivalry between husband and wife when they play tennis and playing the game has given Norman the twin advantages of relief from golf and a new sporting interest, which he can pursue with his wife.
“I wish I had Chrissie’s level of success,” Norman says. “She won about 154 tournaments. She’s won 91 per cent of the matches she has ever played. If I won 91 per cent of the time I went out there and played golf, I’d be pretty good I’d say. No, we don’t try and compare what we’ve done on or off the tennis court.
“When we’re home we probably play three, four times each week, sometimes five times each week. Chrissie does a lot of work at her academy. She goes there in the mornings and plays with the juniors. I come in about fourth or fifth, which is fine with me because when I get back we probably spend an hour-and-a-half on the tennis court.
“She’ll feed me tennis balls because I am still just learning. I am about a 20 or 18 handicap and I am just learning how to get it across the net.”
Traditionally, Norman was more often than not easy with reporters, a good interview. He always “got” journalists more than most sports stars. He knew what a story was, particularly when it involved him. Gary Player is said never to have turned down a request for an interview. Norman may not be far behind.
There was a nice exchange between Norman and reporters after the second round of the
Open. Reporter: “Given your minimal expectations for this event, did you have any alternative plans for the weekend?”
A huge grin spread across Norman’s face as he realised the significance of the question. He had been neatly skewered. If he said “Yes” he would be guilty of not believing in himself. If he said “No” he would look boastful. “No” he said and then burst out laughing, that throaty noisy Australian laugh he has, and added: “Boy, I miss you guys.”
As he approached his 50th birthday in 2005, Norman was asked the “tournament of life” question, namely if his life was a tournament how did he think he was doing? “Ultimately, what I want to do as I approach the later stages of my life is look
at all that has happened to me as one 18-hole round,” he said. “The front nine has been devoted to golf. The back nine is reserved for even more focus on my career beyond golf, specifically my family and my business interests.
“I am happy to say it has been pretty good so far. I think I am making the turn with a respectable three or four under par score. Now I want to shoot another three or four under on the back nine and post a nice little 65.”