Saturday Tot.
Greg Norman 72 +2
Padraig Harrington 72 +4
KJ Choi 75 +4
Simon Wakefield 70 +5
4 tied +7
• Last tournament victory of any kind came in 1997. Won the British Open in 1986 and 1993.
• Seven times (this will make it eight) has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead in a major, winning only once.
• Held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 331 weeks at different times from 1986 to 1998.
• Spends most of his time these days running businesses ranging from wine to golf-course design. Playing in his first major championship in three years.
• Recently married to tennis great Chris Evert.
"I'm sure there are players probably saying, 'My God, what's he doing there?'" Norman quipped. "But I've played golf before. I've played successful golf before."
It's just been a while.
This is the first time since his epic collapse in the 1996 Masters that Norman has gone to the final round of a major with the lead. That day, he shot a dismal 78 to throw away a six-stroke lead on Nick Faldo, cementing his reputation as a great player who couldn't win the big one, someone with a staggering eight runner-up finishes in the majors.
But time has likely healed those wounds, and Norman certainly has a good feeling about his chances on this side of the Atlantic. After all, he won the 1986 Open at Turnberry and the 1993 edition at Royal St. George's -- the only major championships of this career.
Norman is trying to become the oldest major champion, a distinction currently held by the late Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship.
July 20 (Bloomberg) -- Greg Norman has been in this position seven times before and managed to win once.
Today at the British Open, the 53-year-old Australian who once was the best golfer in the world will get another chance to erase the demons of his past as he tries to become the oldest winner in major championship history.
Norman, now a part-time golfer who spends most of his time running businesses ranging from wine to golf-course design, holds a two-stroke lead over defending champion Padraig Harrington and South Korea's K.J. Choi heading into the final round at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.
"My God, what's he doing up there?" Norman told a standing room only news conference, summing up the thoughts of his fellow competitors. "I'm not going to get ahead of myself. There's a lot of golf left."
Norman arrived at the tournament with his new bride, American tennis hall-of-famer Chris Evert, in hopes of preparing for next week's Senior British Open. Now, the Great White Shark, as he became known during his prime, finds himself with a chance to surpass Old Tom Morris as the tournament's oldest winner (46 years old, in 1867) after rounds of 70, 70 and 71 at the 119- year-old course in Southport, England. Julius Boros is the oldest to win any major, taking the 1968 PGA Championship at 48.
High Winds
High winds stalled the pace of play yesterday and sent the score of every player in the field over par. Norman called his 5 1/2-hour round one of his top-three most difficult days of golf.
Norman held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 331 weeks at different times from 1986 to 1998, and won the British Open in 1986 and 1993. His last tournament victory came in 1997.
"I was nervous going to the first tee, and that's a good thing," Norman said. "I hadn't felt that way in 10 years, maybe longer. I hope I feel that way again."
Norman has won nine of the 24 tournaments he's led after three rounds. He's had the third-round lead at a major seven times, with his only victory coming at the British Open in 1986.
Couldn't Master Masters
Aside from his two Open victories, Norman has been one of the sport's most tragic figures, losing the Masters Tournament three times in the final round.
He surrendered a six-stroke lead in the final round there in 1996, made a bogey on the final hole in 1986 to lose to Jack Nicklaus, and was beaten in 1987 when Larry Mize chipped in from 140 feet on the second playoff hole. He also surrendered final- round leads at the 1986 U.S. Open and PGA Championship.
Norman is now 53, newly wed to tennis great Chris Evert, a part-time golfer who had not played in a major for three years. The only reason he entered this British Open was to practice for a couple of senior majors in the coming weeks.
This is the eighth time Norman, who was at 2-over 212, has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead in a major. But it's the first time since he was six shots ahead of Nick Faldo going into the last round of the 1996 Masters, where he lost by five in a collapse that seemed to define his career in the majors.
No one broke par. Nine players failed to break 80, including David Duval, who was three shots behind until a triple bogey on the opening hole and an 83, matching his worst score in a British Open.
He is 18 holes away from becoming golf's oldest major champion by five years. Julius Boros was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship in San Antonio.
Will Zellers scored twice for the Americans, who have won the gold medal in the past two championships.
