Almost three decades later, Greg Norman still won't give up the name. The incident happened during the 1981 Atlanta Classic, on Atlanta Country Club's par-5 11th hole. After the 26-year-old Aussie, new to the American tour, launched a pin-seeking approach shot to reach the green in two, his veteran playing partner turned and said, "Why don't you go back to Australia? You're not good enough to play here." When people try to tear you down, says Norman, who still won't name the culprit, "You have to believe in yourself." Armed with that steel-plated credo — and a cheering section that included his new bride, tennis legend Chris Evert — Norman nearly won the 2008 British Open at Royal Birkdale. The oldest 54-hole leader in major history couldn't hold his two-stroke lead, but he undoubtedly won the day. This month, Norman returns to the site of his first major win, in 1986, for another shot at glory. We caught up with him to talk Turnberry, Tiger, Chrissie — and how this 54-year-old is aging like a bottle of fine Greg Norman Estates Shiraz.
Last year at Birkdale, you nearly became golf's oldest major winner, at 53, before tying for third. How much sleep have you lost over yet another 'what might have been' major?
You can't worry about what might have been. You play your best, and see where you are on the leaderboard. That whole week was wonderful, because Chrissie was there to experience it. I just didn't have the results I wanted on Sunday.
The problems you've had holding a 54-hole lead are well-documented. Last year you shot a 77, after a superb 72 on Saturday in harsh conditions. Was it nerves?
I walked to the first tee Sunday feeling great, just like I had on Saturday. But golf has a lot of nuances. Some putts started lipping out. That was frustrating. Some days you feel great and shoot 70. Some days you feel not so great and shoot 64. It's golf.
Before the Masters, you candidly said you 'probably' couldn't win, and you missed the cut. Can you win at Turnberry?
[Long pause] I'll have to wait to see how I feel, take it day-by-day. Look, I'm a realist. I'm 54, not 34 or 24. Luck plays a big part in golf. But I want to win, and will I try my damndest? You bet. Again, golf is a funny game. This might surprise you, but I played better at Augusta [this year] than I did at the [2008] British Open, where I could have won. So how do you explain that? Putts drop instead of lip out. Bounces go your way. It's the nuances of the game that add up to a lot of strokes.
Unlike at Augusta, you have positive mojo in your favor at Turnberry. You shot a 63 there in 1986 en route to winning your first major.
And it should have been a 59 or 60. I three- putted the final hole and left some shots out there. There's no question that the British was always my best chance for a major. When I walked to the first tee of an Open Championship, and the weather was bad, I had an advantage. I grew up in Australia, and we played with a lot of wind, and I understood how to play in it. Also, I made up my mind that I wasn't going to let weather frustrate me. It got to other guys.
Last year, you were literally honeymooning at Birkdale. You hadn't been playing or practicing much, yet you played some of your best golf for three days. Is there a lesson there about not wanting something too much?
No question, having balance in your life helps you play better. It helps you in many ways, on and off the course. I enjoy and love things away from golf — Chrissie, my kids, scuba, business. But I think Chrissie has been the key. You play better when you have a smile on your face.
