Greg Norman's Obsession With Tiger Continues

[JD3]

I think Norman over states his own status in other people's mind; hes won 2 majors, same as Lee janzen. The real carriers of the torch from his generation were seve and faldo with 5 majors apiece.

[3jacker]

Everything cuts deep with this guy.

 

[Bigsetzee]

Does he realise his name is "Greg"?

Loved watching him bury himself at Augusta, couldn't of happened to a nicer p.

Hope Tiger wiped his butt with it.

[Big Cat 3]

Sharks obsession with a Jack Welch is over ... getting away with Ponzi and stock schemes using a Norman as a front man was good to Welch the crook

[Hawkeye77]

@JD3
How many weeks was Lee Janzen #1?
How many tournaments did he win?

[Ferguson]

 

As is often the case with eccentric people.

 

[3jacker]

True. I do appreciate crazy people of all types. They make life fun.

I'd take 10 Greg Normans over Brooks any day. All the drama and stuff make for entertainment, which is what professional sports is.

[Chris52]

Norman was the biggest bottler in the game and had poor course management when it mattered.

For example the open in 89 Shoots 64 to get into a play off , then tied with calacavecchia with the last hole of play off to go he hits his shot from a bunker out of bounds to hand the title to calacaveccia all because he made the wrong choice off the tee by taking driver and hitting the fairway bunker ,then hitting another bunker,and then the disastrous shot out of bounds from the bunker.

[Ferguson]

 

Driver was a great choice for a guy who was in the top 20 for overall driving for a dozen years of his career.

330 weeks at #1 - he was terrible.

[Old Tom Morris]

Maybe not the worst choice of club as he was a very straight driver of the ball. He failed to pull it off when he needed most.

Choke.

[Jay28]

Not really. A choke is not when you don't hit a good drive.

Can happen to anyone. Happened to Niklaus, happened to Tiger, happened to everyone.

If you are the best driver of a golf ball in the world, it makes sense to play to your strengths.

Not that I like Norman much, but you don;t win 2 majors and 90 or so golf tournaments worldwide as a choker.

 

[Ferguson]

 

Let's just say it - he stunk under pressure. However, the guy was good from the tee.................most of the time.

[3jacker]

He was one of the best ball strikers the game has ever known, and not just with his driver.

But he sure tanked a lot of critical approaches under pressure. If that's not choking I don't know what is.

Even with his chronic choking, he put together a great career.

[Jay28]

How come he won so many tournaments then, including 2 majors?

How does one 'stink' undr pressure and do that?

[3jacker]

Simple. He's the best choker in the history of golf.

[Malvern]

As you can imagine, every Australian who plays golf has a theory on why GN didn't get it done when it mattered most. Whilst I disagree with the poster above about his drive on 18 in the 89 Open playoff, there is a theory that most times he didn't hit it hard enough, like the fanned 4 iron into the "patrons" at The Masters, he is trying to coax it in rather than hitting under pressure. Like ass holes, its one theory.

[3jacker]

To be fair, he's fun to make fun of now (and he's earned it thru his personal behavior, his ego, etc.). But at the time he was great for the game. Exciting to watch, flashy, by far the best player (except closing out a major). Far more entertaining that if we'd been stuck with VJ and Faldo. A bit of a caricature, sure. But something to keep us entertained as an opening act for TW.

[Obee]

Because majors are a different kind of pressure. He felt the other tournaments were "his to win." Everyone has choke in them -- it just takes different levels/circumstances to bring it out in each person.

[bladehunter]

i grow

more a fan of little Rory everyday. His head is screwed on straight. A gimmick golf league backed by enough money to blow up the pga tour would eventually be a disaster for the game. I can see it now. Intermission after 9 for a long drive tournament , then the scorecard “ girls “ would escort the players to the 10th tee , where they’d play a shamble in to see who won ! All from carts.

[Ferguson]

 

He wasn't much of a husband either. I think his personal life was a mess too.

 

A word to the wise:

When the honeymoon is over, the real marriage begins. Relationships are the most important things in life, and the hardest to maintain. And the hardest of all perhaps are the ones with people who play golf. We start out with love and hope, and sometimes the complications of life and the new PGA schedule get in our way. Individuals become symptomatic with felt unhappiness, anxiety and errant golf shots. Couples find themselves fighting and struggling with affairs, missing short putts, intimacy problems, lack of distance, getting a wrong yardage and poor communication. 

 

 

[dpb5031]

Great point! Comfort level, expectations, ambition/aspirations, etc...

True for all of us, just at different levels. Jack & Tiger (especially) being true exceptions

[MMB1500]

This may as well be a quote about McIlroy.

[Ferguson]

 

Scott Hoch, too.

[Jay28]

Norman won two majors.

So did he not choke in those but he did in others?

 

[3jacker]

Maybe. Maybe he choked less.

Maybe he choked just as bad but got lucky.

Maybe the others in contention choked more.

Impossible to say. All we can say, with any certainty, was that he choked away more majors than any hominid in history.

[strug'-a-ling]

Woods, at his very best, was the best player that I've ever seen.

His prime was truncated by injury so perhaps that affects his ordinal status in term of career. We've all got opinions about that, one way or the other.

But in terms of being the best ever at any given moment in time, I would go with the Tiger.

That said, I never considered him a particularly affable player.

I think it's impacted his ancillary income. He's made tons of money, but I don't think it approaches what a more likable Tiger would have made in endorsement money.

At one point, he could have easily eclipsed Michal Jordan, this despite playing a far more elitist sport.

 

I don't know what the deal is between Norman and Woods, but if Woods is simply being aloof, I think that's perfectly normal for him.

None of us draws his own blueprint. We are like we are.

 

 

[Ferguson]

I contend Greg's personal issues came NOT from his parents but from his uncle.

His uncle, Norman Norman, was pretty high strung and was a showoff most of his life.

I think it rubbed off on Greg.

 

 

[Obee]

Yes. Or, he choked in the ones he won and he still won -- which is totally possible. Sometimes a bad choke or two or three can be salvaged by another part of one's game that the player has complete confidence in -- or by other players melting down also.

And Fred Couples won one. Should/could have won several more: https://www.foxsports.com/golf/story/fred-couples-chokes-again-and-thats-his-legacy-022111

Tom Weiskopf, anyone?

You can choke and still win for sure. But you can't choke and win the bigs ones often. And some people only choke in the big ones.

And at my own (not very good, amateur level), I've choked away more wins than anyone within a hundred miles. I know choke!! :-)

Honestly, it shouldn't surprise you that some players handle the pressure of sports' grandest stages in a different ways.

Greg Norman was an absolutely amazing player. One of the best of all-time, for sure. But he choked away several majors.

[Jay28]

Or he didn't choke in the ones he lost, which is totally possible.

You're overthinking it. For some reason the moniker of 'choker' is thrown around a lot in golf, usually by people who have zero idea what it is like to play on tour.

High level, you are calling a man who won consistently, including 2 major titles and was #1 in the world for over 300 weeks a choker. Sounds ridiculous.

 

 

[Ferguson]

Norman was #1 for 330 weeks. Think about that.