Nicklaus-like Norman within reach of miracle Open title
SOUTHPORT, England -- Who does he think he is, Greg Norman?
On the silliest Saturday at a major championship in years, with balls disappearing in high winds and higher rough, a cool blast from the past stole the lead, the headlines and a few million hearts.
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| Greg Norman's position on the leaderboard is no surprise to his foes. (Getty Images) |
Over three days, the mood at Royal Birkdale has morphed from surreal to sublime to just plain stupid. Norman hasn't won a PGA Tour-sanctioned event in 11 years, hasn't won a major championship since 1993 and missed the cut at all three of his U.S. tour events this year.
Now he's 18 holes from becoming the oldest major winner by five years. Old Tom Morris is probably coughing up cobwebs of joy.
As Norman nearly holed a 30-yard chip shot on the last hole for an exclamation-mark birdie, as thousands in the grandstands jumped to their feet and screamed their lungs out as the ball slipped past the cup, an old rival watched quietly from a few feet away.
Nick Faldo, a three-time Open winner himself, shook his head and clapped. You could not possibly make this stuff up.
"No," Faldo said, "you really couldn't."
Faldo, mind you, is two years younger than the Shark.
The following thesis is humbly submitted for your consideration: When 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus won the Masters in 1986 with a wild rally on the back nine on Sunday, it was roundly considered the most memorable victory in major-championship history. Given Norman's almost painful legacy when staked to the third-round lead, at this stage of his career, the Nicklaus story clearly gets shoved to the back of the book shelf if the Shark holds on to win.
Why? If Norman gets it done at this age, at this stage, it would read like the greatest work of English fiction since Shakespeare was writing plays at the Globe Theater. All that remains to be seen is whether Sunday presents a comedy or tragedy for public consumption.
Norman is well-read in both and probably knows what people are thinking this time around. Sure, two decades ago, he was No. 1 in the world and expected to deliver the goods under extreme circumstances. Now he's an over-the-hill, slightly wrinkled icon caught in some sort of fantastic flashback.
"It is different," Norman said, comparing then and now. "The players are probably saying, 'My God, what's he doing up there?'"
