Shell Houston Open player spotlight: Greg Norman

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Apr. 5, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM

Each week during the 2009 season, PGATOUR.COM has spotlighted one key player in the field. (Click here to see previous spotlights.) For this week's Shell Houston Open, however, we've chosen to feature 2009 Presidents Cup captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples.

Once the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, Norman won 20 times on the PGA TOUR between 1984 and 1997. The Aussie nearly won the British Open in 2008 and, thanks to his eventual tie for third there, Norman earned a spot in the Masters for the first time since 2002. He's playing this week at the Shell Houston Open as he prepares for a return to Augusta National.

Consider this file to be your one-stop source for everything concerning Greg this week, with links to Greg-related content, notes and stats, and video and other multimedia elements. Then, once competition starts, we'll update this file every day with Greg's results and statistics after each round in Texas.

Greg's round-by-round results
Rd. Score Position Eagles Birdies Pars Bogeys Others SHOT TRACKER
1 71 (1 under) T55 0 4 11 3 0 Click to replay round
Making a rare appearance on the PGA TOUR -- and gearing up for next week's Masters -- Greg shot a 1-under 71 at Redstone in the first round, which finished on Friday.
2 69 (3 under) T24 0 5 11 2 0 Click to replay round
Greg was stellar in the second round, firing a 3-under 69 to move into the hunt. At 4 under for the tournament, Greg will start the third round of the Shell Houston Open trailing by just four shots.
3 70 (2 under) T24 0 3 14 1 0 Click to replay round
One of few to finish his third round, Norman actually has the clubhouse lead at 6 under. He's using this week to warm up for Augusta -- looks like it's working.
4 81 (9 over) T70 0 5 2 9 2 Click to replay round
Norman struggled mightily in the final round at Redstone, where he closed out a back-nine 44 with a double bogey and a quadruple bogey on his way to a crash landing.

Saturday

Watch: Norman rolls in a 63-foot birdie putt

Friday
Transcript:
Read what Greg had to say on Friday

Wednesday
Read:
Greg's transcript from his pre-tournament interview with Fred Couples
Read: Couples and Norman on Tiger/Phil rivalry
Watch:
Norman talks about the Presidents Cup

Greg Norman: Featured content
DECADES INTERTWINED. Despite how very different Fred Couples and Greg Norman are, writes Melanie Hauser, the two have been intertwined for more than 30 years.
Click here for column
IN THEIR OWN WORDS. We asked the two Presidents Cup captains (Norman for the International team, Couples for the United States team) to provide their thoughts on three points of discussion.
Click here for more
LOOKING AHEAD. Before the Cap Cana Championship last week on the Champions Tour, our Champions Tour Insider Vartan Kupelian shared Norman's goals for the next few events, including the Masters.
Click here for Q&A
STIRRING THE WATERS. The Shark competed in the British Open last year like it was 1989, not 2009. Melanie Hauser writes about Norman, then a newlywed, at Royal Birkdale.
Click here for more
PLAYER PAGE. Want more on Greg? On his PGATOUR.com player page, you can check out his results through the years, or how he ranks on TOUR in certain statistical categories.
Click here for player page
Greg Norman: Featured videos
CONVERSATION WITH THE PROS: NORMAN. Greg Norman discusses his under-the-radar approach to the 2009 Masters and the friendly competition he enjoys with wife Chris Evert.
Click here to watch
NORMAN REMEMBERS. An International Team leader from 1996-2000, Greg Norman compiled a career record of 7-6-1 in Presidents Cup competition.
Click here to watch
GEARING UP FOR THE CUP. Presidents Cup veterans Fred Couples and Greg Norman will captain the United States and International teams when the 2009 Presidents Cup heads to famed Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, Calif.
Click here to watch
MEMORABLE MOMENT. Aussie Norman holed out a pitch from the fairway at the 3rd hole during his Sunday singles match against Corey Pavin at the 1998 Presidents Cup. The event was played in Melborne, Victoria, Australia.
Click here to watch
Take Five
Five things you should know about Greg Norman
Norman married Hall of Fame tennis star Chris Evert in late June, just weeks before the British Open. Norman now loves to play tennis -- he says he could spend three or four hours a day on the court -- while Evert is hoping to learn to play golf.
In six starts on the Champions Tour, Norman has only finished outside the top 10 once. He had top-6 finishes in three Champions Tour majors last season.
Norman began playing golf as a 15-year-old, when he offered to caddie for his mother then borrowed her clubs after the round. In just two years, Norman had a scratch handicap.
He has spent a total of 331 weeks at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking. In the 22-year history of the rankings, only Tiger Woods (541 weeks) has spent more time as the No. 1-ranked golfer.
During the 1981 Masters Tournament, a newspaper reporter gave Norman the "Great White Shark" nickname. He earned that moniker in part because of his blonde hair and aggressiveness on the golf course, and also because the fierce predators inhabit the waters near his native Australia.
Major moments
Norman finished inside the top 10 at major championships, THE PLAYERS and THE TOUR Championship nearly one third of the time during his career. Take a look at Norman's impressive record at the major events:
Tournament Total starts Top 10s Years with top-10s (finish)
Masters 22 9 1981 (4th), 1986 (T2), 1987 (T2), 1988 (T5), 1989 (T3), 1992 (T6), 1995 (T3), 1996 (2nd), 1999 (3rd)
U.S. Open 19 5 1984 (2nd), 1990 (T5), 1994 (T6), 1995 (2nd), 1996 (T10)
British Open 26 10 1979 (T10), 1984 (T6), 1986 (WON), 1989 (T2), 1990 (T6), 1991 (T9), 1993 (WON), 1996 (T7), 1999 (6th), 2008 (T3)
PGA Championship 22 6 1981 (T4), 1982 (T5), 1986 (2nd), 1988 (T9), 1993 (2nd), 1994 (T4)
THE PLAYERS 20 4 1987 (T4), 1989 (T4), 1993 (T3), 1994 (WON)
THE TOUR Championship 10 5 1987 (3rd), 1990 (T7), 1992 (T7), 1993 (T2), 1995 (T9)
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