GOLF : Despite being 54 years old and a lowly 216th in the world rankings, Greg Norman still manages to turn heads on the
golf course. The Australian’s appearance at any tournament still brings a sense of intrigue and fascination to spectators and players alike and his involvement in this week’s Johnnie Walker Classic is no exception. Although there are plenty of younger and higher-ranked players entered in the tournament at The Vines in Western Australia, Norman has commanded most of the attention in the lead up to the event. The former world number one was feted like a pop star when he arrived in Western Australia to play a charity event to raise funds for the victims of the Australian bushfires, and even his opponents were impressed. American Anthony Kim, ranked 11th in the world, said Norman’s fairytale run at last year’s British Open, where he finished third behind Pádraig Harrington, was proof he could still compete at the highest level. “He’s proven himself so many times over and over again,” Kim said. “I mean, look at what he did at British Open. I don’t think too many people expected him to do that after being away from tournament golf for so long. “In this game, you can’t ever underestimate anybody.”
Norman will play alongside Colombia’s Camilo Villegas, ranked ninth, and England’s Lee Westwood (12th) in tomorrow’s opening round of the Johnnie Walker Classic, a tournament tri-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian PGA Tours.