By Dr. Tony Parker, World Golf Hall of Fame Historian
For Greg Norman, the year 1986 was a roller coaster ride of emotions. He was at the top of his game throughout the year, and although he won nine international tournaments, the Majors were a mixture of jubilation and disappointment.
Norman led all four Majors going into the final rounds, but was able to take the crown in only one – The Open Championship at Turnberry in Scotland.
At the Masters, Norman entered the final round one shot in the lead over fellow Hall of Fame Member Nick Price and four strokes ahead of Jack Nicklaus. No one expected 46-year-old Nicklaus to make a charge, but he did. Nicklaus fired a final-round 65 to go 9-under-par.
Many people forget that Norman was still very much in the game. Through 15 holes, Norman was 7-under-par with three holes to play. On the 16th hole, Norman’s tee shot settled to four feet and he made his birdie putt firmly into the hole. He was now one shot back. He sprayed his tee shot on the 17th, but made a tremendous second shot over trees and then holed his 12-foot putt for another birdie. Tied with Nicklaus with one hole to go, he knew that another birdie would win it.
Greg Norman hit his 3-wood from the tee and had 175 yards to the pin for the victory. However, his second shot went wild right into the spectators. From there, he had to settle for a bogey to lose by one stroke to Nicklaus.
Norman would tie for second place two weeks later at the Heritage Classic before winning by seven strokes at the Las Vegas Invitational. His good play continued as he took the title at the Kemper Open in a playoff with Larry Mize, and he went on to the U.S. Open Championship in good form.
At the U.S. Open, he again went into the final round in the lead; however, he shot a final round score of 75 and tied for 12th place, losing to Raymond Floyd.
Before heading to The Open Championship at Turnberry, Norman collected two more second place finishes on the PGA TOUR. The Open Championship was his next opportunity to claim his first Major Championship victory, and he took full advantage.
After the first round, he found himself four strokes off the lead, held by Welshman Ian Woosnam. However, he fired a second round score of 63, which included two bogeys, to take the lead by two over Gordon J. Brand. On Saturday, as so often happens at The Open Championship, the weather stepped in to protect the course. Only one golfer broke par for the day, and he was nowhere near the leaders. Through the rain and the wind, players struggled, and Norman came in with a score of 74, four over par.
Even with that score, Norman still held the lead by one over Japan’s Tommy Nakajima. Going into the final round with a one-stroke lead and remembering how he had let both the Masters and the U.S. Open slip from his hands, he was determined not to let that happen again.
Sunday arrived with glorious weather that showed Turnberry at its best. Norman played a solid round of golf that distanced him from the rest of the pack. Although Seve Ballesteros shot the low round of the day with a 64, it was too little too late. Norman had a final round 69 and claimed his first Major Championship victory, five strokes clear of his nearest challenger, and, as he said, “got the monkey off my back.”
