Norman Hoping Third Senior Open The Charm

Courtesy of Dave Shedloski
USSeniorOpen.com

Carmel, Ind. - Greg Norman doesn't play much competitive golf these days, his diverse interests pulling him in all directions. But there are still certain events that he tries to not miss.

This week's U.S. Senior Open is among them.

The Great White Shark is making his third appearance in the championship while also making a rare third straight start, having been abroad the last two weeks to play in the British Open and the Senior British Open. He missed the cut in the former, but led after 54 holes in the latter at Sunningdale, in England, before finishing tied for sixth.

Norman, who finished solo fourth in his previous two U.S. Senior Open starts, still has an appetite for big game.

"I enjoy playing the majors. I do enjoy playing," said Norman Wednesday after his final preparations at Crooked Stick Golf Club. "I enjoy playing four rounds, not three, I've got to be honest with you. When I played in the first (regular) senior tournament (at the Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic), I got in there Friday, and it felt like the tournament was over before we even started. It's amazing when you get used to doing something for 30-odd years, then when it changes, is was tough for me to make that adjustment."

Norman plays his tee shot on the ninth hole during a Wednesday practice round at Crooked Stick. (©USGA/John Mummert)

Like many of his peers, Norman has had to make the adjustment in time difference after competing in England. He didn't look like it was any trouble for him on Tuesday night as he met with a roomful of people in a local hotel ballroom for a reception that introduced the Spring 2010 lineup of his Greg Norman Collection clothing line.

Fashion is but one facet of his vast business that keeps him hopping around the globe. Of course, he's also an avid sportsman and fisherman. Before Tom Watson's epic run at Turnberry, Norman was enthralling the sports world last summer by nearly winning a third Claret Jug at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale before falling to Padraig Harrington.

That performance earned him another berth in the Masters, but it didn't alter his priorities.

"Golf has always been just a part of what I do. I just have too many interests," he said. "That's not to say that I still don't have the desire to be a good golfer, but there's just a lot more going on in my life, and I like it that way."

Winner of 20 PGA Tour titles, including the 1986 and '93 British Opens, Norman certainly doesn't work as hard on his game as he used to in his prime. But he works smarter.

"I really focus on my practice. When you're younger and you're trying to hone your skills you need to hit a lot of golf balls to get your muscles right and get your technique correct," he said. "As you get older, all you need to do is just bump off the rust, basically, and get the joints moving. So you can stay there and get a lot of work done in 90 minutes to two hours instead of doing it for eight or nine hours. Now what I do is I practice for two-hour sessions; I'll go play golf, and before I never played. I always just hit golf balls, and I only played when I went to a tournament. It's completely reversed."

Reversing his fortunes in the U.S. Senior Open is, naturally, his goal this week at Crooked Stick. Norman is a fan of Pete Dye's work, though he didn't fare well here during the 1991 PGA Championship, finishing tied for 32nd.

"I hope I break it for the better," said Norman of his U.S. Senior Open streak of top-four finishes. I feel my game is fairly solid, actually. I have no complaints at the moment. I'm just a little bit like anybody would say coming off playing golf in Europe for two weeks and then getting over here; it's bit of a slug on us."

That said, he might be in better tournament shape, having played the last two weeks. "This week it will be a little better than what it was last week," he said. "There's no question, tournament play is good for you. It teaches you and it reminds you of the things that you know in your system, and it's not just hitting the ball. It's the ability of concentrating and making sure you read the greens right and hit them to the right speed. That's all tournament conditions."

They are conditions Norman prefers, where he feels he can still swim with the big fishes.

Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on USSeniorOpen.com.

For complete coverage of the Senior Open Championship, please visit the Sharkwatch » Tournaments section of Shark.com.