1. sports
2. golf

More Than Just a
Shark
By: Keaton Thomas
IDEA English II Acc.
Per. 1
Mr. Mooney
“I hate failure. The Idea of
failure is, I think, my
driving force.” – Greg
Norman
An Opening Statement
Greg Norman started
out his life as a
humble and
athletically gifted
Australian boy, who
through practice and
hard work, made it to
the top of the world,
and inspiring many
people along his
journey.
As a Baby Shark
Greg Norman’s early life
is what really prepared
him for the rest of his life.
After picking up the game
of golf as a teenager he
loved it so much. He
stuck to the ways of his
father who always was an
advocate of Hard work to
make it to the top, as he
did the same in his
electrical job.
As a Baby Shark (cont.)
His father wanted him to go to
college so he could build
himself a solid foundation for
life, but Greg never enjoyed
school, he could never apply
himself. Greg insisted that one
day, he would make it in life
and did it his own way. As a
teenager Greg played rugby
and Australian rules. He was a
strong and athletic boy, but
chose to play golf.
“Before I’m thirty, I’ll be a millionaire. I’ll
be the best golfer in the world and I’ll be
married to an American.” (St. Johns 12)
No Amateur Mistake
Greg started off his career
on the Australian golf tour.
In 1976, Greg Norman
turned pro and began
playing on the Australian
tour. After numerous
junior victories, his first
professional victory came
at the West Lakes Classic
in Australia. After his first
professional victory, he
went international
competing in Europe and
Asia. His success was
inevitable.
The Middle Years
In the middle of his career
which was during the 80’s
and early 90’s Norman saw
most of his success. He
became a world figure
during this time. With many
wins on the European tour,
he decided to come and
play in America. By the mid
80’s Norman had become
the best player not to win
one of golf’s major
tournaments.
His Major Wins
At this time in his career, Greg
Norman was known at this time
as the best player in the world
to not have won a major title.
This all changed in 1986 when
he won his first British Open
Championship. The weather
was terrible during the first few
rounds of the tournament, but
after putting together the best
final round in championship
history, he claimed his first and
long awaited major title.
Greg Norman said
“I’m here for one
thing, to win the
open.” (St. Johns
103)
His Major Wins (cont.)
1993 was another magical year for Greg
Norman in England as he racked up his
second British open title. This time it was
against “one of the strongest fields in open
history.” (St. John 188). After the first three
rounds of play, everyone was together at the
top, it was the last round that would decide it
all. After all was said and done, Greg
Norman came in with the lowest final round
in major championship history with a 64.
This led him to win his second major title and
his second British open and his second time
hoisting the Claret Jug for the second time.
Winner of the 1932 British Open said that Norman’s
performance was “the most awesome display of
golf I have ever seen.” (St. Johns 194)
Other Wins
• Greg Norman has 91
career victories
– 20 on the US PGA tour
– 71 international
victories
• Was inducted to the
Golf Hall of fame in
2001
• Was the worlds #1
golfer for 331 straight
weeks
However…
It wasn’t all peaches
and cream for Greg
Norman in the big
tournaments. Those
two were the only two
majors he won.
Greg Norman remembers that Teddy Roosevelt once said
that it was better to “know the agony and the ecstasy of
defeat and victory than live forever in the twilight of
never having felt either one.”
One Major Stolen
In the 1986 PGA Championship,
Norman found himself leading
going into the final hole. After
playing two good shots to the
front of the green to make an easy
par, Bob Tway played to terrible
shots and was in the sand trap
next to the green. Norman then
saw out of the corner of his eye,
Bob Tway sink his impossible
bunker shot. “I still thought I was
going to chip it in, ‘cause I’ll be
damned if I was going to lose that
Championship” (ST. Johns 126)
said Norman. He never did and
lost on a miraculous shot, one of
many in his career.
Not Again
The Masters is the tournament of
tournaments in the golf world, and Greg
Norman wanted nothing else to win. Greg
Norman was in the lead going into the final
round of the tournament but was tied on the
last hole to force a playoff in the 1987
Masters. Once again Norman played a
flawless hole and had a long putt for birdie.
Larry Mize, the player against him in the
playoff hit the ball way right of the green and
had another impossible shot to overcome.
Greg Norman put his first put to a couple of
feet and prepared to watch Larry Mize chip.
Not Again (cont.)
Larry Mize was preparing to chip,
desperately trying to calm himself
down, to put in close.
“Thousands of miles away… in
Australia, [Norman’s friend and
coach, Charlie] Earp, ‘felt a cold
shiver’ pass through him as the
American set up to the ball.” (St.
Johns 136). Mize chipped it
across the green and the ball
dove into the hole. Greg was
thinking to himself “I couldn’t
believe it was going in.” (ST.
Johns 136).
Epilogue to the Drama
“Greg Norman will lost the next U.S.
Open when Joe Bob Zilch holes a wedge
from the top of a eucalyptus tree on the
third extra hole in San Francisco.
Norman will lost the British Open when
Sam Sausage holes out a wedge from ten
fathoms beneath the Firth of Forth on the
fifth extra hole at Muirfield. Norman will
lose the PGA Championship in Palm
Beach when Rex Shank holds out a
wedge from inside a jewelry store on the
seventh extra hole. Norman will then
retire and autograph straightjackets for a
living.” (St. Johns 138)
Epilogue to the Drama (Cont.)
This was just the author Laura St. Johns
describing Normans luck in Majors. The
same thing has been done to him multiple
times in other less important tournaments
around the world with spectacular finishes
that Greg was not a part of. It was also him
in a few majors where he had the lead going
into the final round and completely choked.
Norman once said, “The Law of averages
says you win 50 percent of the time, not lose
100 percent of the time.” (St. Johns 165)
Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated said “Greg Norman
reminds me of the movies. Every time you think
he’s going to get the girl and ride off into the
sunset, his horse breaks a leg.”
Setbacks
• Greg Norman has suffered from injuries
like any other person in professional
sports. Some of them are…
– Broken tooth, after playing Rugby as a kid
– An a sprained wrist and broken thumb
(this was after hitting a golf shot out of
some grass with rocks in it.)
– A kidney stone
– Lower back soreness (can really affect
your golf game)
His Business Empire
Merv Norman, Greg’s dad, wanted him to go
to college so he could have something to fall
back on in life. In response, Greg made a
pretty good fallback plan for after his golfing
days were over.
“Norman used to fall asleep in business meetings,
bored rigid by the plotting and planning he paid
others to do … later he found that he loved the high
risk wheeling and dealing.” (St. John 216)
Some of Greg’s Things
• Owns his own multi-million dollar clothing
enterprise called Great White Shark
• He designs golf courses
• He is a partner in a real estate company
• A partner in Medalist Developments a
master planned community builder.
• He owns a turf company for growing
grass
• He owns a restaurant chain called Greg
Norman’s Australian Grille
• He Owns a wine making company
Some of Greg’s Things (cont.)
• He owns a beef producing company called
Australian Prime.
• He is a director and shareholder of SKY
Shades which is an outdoor roofing
company
• He is a partner in GPS Industries for golf
use
• He also has his name on many golf
tournaments that he sponsors.
Some of Greg’s Personal Things
• Greg Norman Owns and 82 inch luxury yacht
of his own design.
• He owns his own private Boeing 747 jet.
• He lives in a giant $65 million in Hobe Sound,
Florida and other homes in Australia.
• He owns a private helicopter
• Greg Norman has a need for speed
–
–
–
–
–
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4 Ferraris
Rolls Royce
Mercedes Benz
Many Chevy Suburbans
Many other high octane sport vehicles
18 cars total
Fun Facts
• He hit a Kangaroo driving on an Australian
freeway
• Caught a Great Wight Shark while Fishing
• He has saved a man’s life while surfing
• Led the pace car in the Indy 500
• Flew and F-18 fighter jet (since he was a boy
he always wanted to be a fighter pilot)
• President Clinton tore ligaments in his knee,
while residing at Norman’s house
Greg Norman: The Conclusion
Throughout Greg Norman’s life he has been able to
put his mind on something and then go out and do it.
No problem; he is a single minded individual. He
chose to play golf instead of any other sport (he was
very athletically gifted) because it gave him the
challenge. If he were to go out and win everyday, he
would be bored. And through each loss, he has
handled them with the grace and respect that only
the greatest men can do. He is a street smart
individual who knows what to do in every situation.
Basically Greg Norman is a True Gentleman on and
off the golf course who plays the ultimate
Gentleman’s game.
‘S
Works Cited
Anderson, Dave. "WHEN WILLNORMAN BE UP TO NORM?"
New York Times 19 June 1988. 10 May 2008
<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE4DF1E30F
93AA25755C0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all>.
Norman, Greg. Greg Norman: the Way of the Shark. United
Kingdom: Ebury P, 2006.
Reilly, Rick. "Norman Conquest." Sports Illustrated.
St. John, Laura. The Shark. Nashville, Tennessee: Rutledge Hill P,
1998.