Norman's ending inevitable, but still not easy to take

This one should leave no scars. Of course, neither will it leave any smiles, for Norman or the millions of fans wishing he could hold off the inevitable for one more day.

"I'm disappointed," Norman said, revealing feelings he kept hidden. "That would be an understatement if I didn't say I was disappointed. But it was a tough day today.

"Padraig played great today. Even though he tried to let it get away, he came back and performed beautifully and finished like a true champion."

Which is how we should think of Norman. He has won a ton of tournaments. He has won a couple of majors, although he probably should have had more. But more important, he has had the proper attitude, handling losses like a sportsman.

"I can walk away from here being disappointed," Norman pointed out, "but I can walk away with my head held high, because I hung in there. Maybe on 11 and 12 if (putts) lip in instead of lip out, it's a totally different score. But it wasn't meant to be, and you've got to take that with a grain of salt."

Wasn't meant to be. But in a way it was. Didn't Norman give himself a ride? Didn't Norman give us a thrill?

We let our imaginations roam. Tiger Woods wins the U.S. Open on a bad leg. Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer in one of the greatest Wimbledon finals. Norman steps from nowhere to stun the sporting world.

But the script got garbled. Greg got waylaid. It was predictable. Not that it made the situation any more acceptable.

Norman was asked how this stumble compared to all those others, all those times he carried a lead into the last round of a major, the '96 Masters, the '93 PGA, the '86 Masters, the '86 U.S. Open, the '86 PGA, and didn't win.

"I can stand here now and say, yeah, I'm disappointed," Norman said in reflection. "Where does it rank among those others? Probably not as high as some.

"I'm sure I surprised some people, but at the same time, I think about it now, what happens if I won. Then I might have to be out here playing more golf, and maybe that's what I didn't want to do anyway. But it is disappointing, no question."

To Greg Norman and everyone who believes in dreams.