AUGUSTA, Ga. — After decades of nothing except heartbreak at the Masters, Greg Norman finally found a reason to love the site of his worst golf nightmares.
Who needs a green jacket when you have a trophy wife?
As his ball dropped in the cup for a hole-in-one, Norman wrapped his caddie, better known as tennis champ Chris Evert, in a hug and a smooch so passionate it could’ve made the ghost of Bobby Jones blush.
In the long, storied history of Augusta National, it might have been the first time a roar from the gallery sounded like:
Hey, you two lovebirds, get a room!
“About time! It only took me 23 freakin’ years to get a hole-in-one here,” Norman said, as the Shark’s gleaming white teeth lit up the cool shade of the old oak tree outside the clubhouse.
To the delight of his spouse, Norman recorded an ace in the par 3 contest, a traditional family picnic held on the eve of golf’s most prestigious, pressure-packed tournament.
“I only wish the hole-in-one would’ve been a day later, when it counted,” said Evert, speaking like a competitor who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles. “Greg hasn’t always had great luck here. He always hasn’t played his best on the last day of the Masters. But he has also had some bad luck. So if anybody deserves some good karma, it’s him. Don’t you think?”
No need to remind us. Norman knows. We know. Everybody in golf knows.
When Norman returned to the site of his most spectacular failures after a seven-year absence from the Masters, he did not want to retrace the steps alone where he lost in a playoff to Larry Mize in 1987, blew a big lead with a final-round 78 in 1996 and revealed the very human flaws that prevented him from joining Jack Nicklaus as a truly timeless legend.
So his son will be on the bag during the tourney, and he finally coaxed a reluctant Evert to share the spotlight with him as the crowds cheered Wednesday.
“We were still negotiating when my plane landed at 10 a.m.,” Evert said.
Evert and Norman, both 54 years old, are the new royal couple for a generation of baby boomers dealing with wrinkles in the mirror and yearning for reasons to feel young again.
As cameras roll when Norman sticks a tee in the red Georgia clay this morning at 9:50 Atlanta time, would it be more appropriate for the soundtrack to be the pastoral music of this tournament’s telecasts or the bouncy, cheesy theme song of “Entertainment Tonight”?
Talk about an expensive midlife crisis: The price tag on the divorces that preceded the June 2008 wedding of the Shark and the Princess of Centre Court were estimated to cost Norman $100 million and Evert $7 million.
Was it worth it?
The answer is as obvious as the sparkle in Evert’s eyes as she stands behind the ropes of the putting green and stares intently at her husband lagging a 35-footer toward the hole. When the ball stops a single rotation short of the cup, she whispers, “Good shot.”
They both know what it takes to be No. 1. This man and wife also realize how fear of failure can cast a shadow on the thrill of victory.
“When you go home, she knows when not to ask questions, especially questions about golf, and she knows because she’s a sports person,” Norman said. “And when somebody understands that, phew, it’s pretty good.”
Can a Shark learn to be mellow?
Years ago, during a trip to Colorado for a PGA Tour stop, Norman wanted to chew me up and spit me out because I poked fun about his complaint that Uncle Sam dipped in his wallet for more money in annual tax payments than 99 percent of Americans earn in a lifetime of paychecks. I can’t blame him for being irked. But any little injustice, perceived or real, used to eat at the Shark. And we all know golf is not a game of fair.
“I think he’s calmer. When I met him, he was all wound up. About everything. You guys know he’s kind of an intense guy,” Evert said. “But he has come to terms with a lot of things in his life. He’s at peace.”
Evert is teaching him tennis. Her private golf lessons begin next year. The fun couple gets away by hiking the mountains of Tibet. She hops in his private jet and they go. Yep, the rich are different than you and me.
“We do everything together,” Norman said.
Love conquers all, but maybe it doesn’t stop his golf demons from following Norman home at night.
“How does he get over it? Is that what you’re trying to say?” said Evert, punctuating her laughter with a playful touch on the elbow.
In the next breath, Norman silently appeared at the clubhouse breezeway. His bride instinctively spun on her heels, and bounced across the lawn in the sweet swoon of romance, saying: “There’s Greg. Gotta go.”
History will never forget how Mize bagged the Shark with one stunning shot more than 20 years ago, or the agony of Norman’s collapse at the ’96 Masters.
But instead of taking those demons to bed with him, when Norman turns out the lights, here’s betting golf is now the last thing on the Shark’s mind.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
The good, the bad, and the downright ugly
In his prime, Greg Norman was the best golfer in the world. He never won the Masters, though, despite coming close several times. He’s back, at age 54, for another try. A look at Norman’s history at Augusta.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Fifth all-time in scoring average (for players with at least 75 rounds)
•Holds record for most consecutive rounds in 60s, with five
•Shot lowest opening round ever, a 63, in 1996
LOWLIGHTS
•In 1986, Norman led after 54 holes, and could have forced a playoff with Jack Nicklaus had he parred No. 18. He bogeyed.
•He reached a playoff with Larry Mize and Seve Ballesteros in 1997. Ballesteros was eliminated on the first playoff hole, then Mize chipped in for birdie at No. 11 to defeat Norman.
•Norman, in 1996, held a six-shot lead over Nick Faldo entering the final round, but had blown the lead by No. 11 and staggered to finish with a 78. Faldo shot 67.
