So near, yet so far

A third Claret Jug would have been the fairy tale ending Greg ‘Shark’ Norman would have wished for following his wedding and honeymoon with former tennis great Chris Evert. But Norman went on to become the familiar tragic-hero again

Greg Norman’s run for a third Claret Jug came to a disappointing end at Royal Birkdale after a final round 77 left the Shark at third place in the month of July. Still, the 53-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer made his 26th appearance at the British Open Championship something to remember.

Norman, who lifted the Claret Jug twice before, gave the golfing world four wonderful days at game’s oldest and greatest championship. In doing so, Norman introduced a new generation of fans to one of the game’s greatest legends. His bold third-place finish at the British Open was still a boon for Norman, as he has jumped a record 480 places on the world golf rankings. Ranked 646th in the world before he teed off at Birkdale, Norman has soared to No 166, the biggest single leap in rankings history. Norman, who was No. 1 for a record 331 weeks before being usurped by Tiger Woods, is now at his highest ranking since 2003.

The British Open had all the elements of a fairy tale like few others in golf. Norman, 53, married tennis great Chris Evert three weeks ago and was on the tail end of his honeymoon when he wound up with a two-shot lead going into the final round and a chance to become the oldest major champion. Instead, it ended like so many other majors when he was in his prime. The Shark lost his two-shot lead after the third hole. He still had a one-shot lead going to the back nine, but bogeyed three of the next four holes and had to settle for a 77 and a tie for third with Henrik Stenson (71).

Norman, 53, was the third-round leader at Royal Birkdale and still led with nine holes left Sunday while playing with Padraig Harrington. He was rolling in putts and lashing the ball with skill and power just like it was 1986 or 1993 when he won the Claret Jug. He was challenging the record for oldest major winner, set by Connecticut native Julius Boros (48) at the 1968 PGA Championship. But his storybook British Open didn’t have a magical ending. He had a final-round 77, finishing in a tie for third, and watched Harrington shoot 69 to win his second consecutive title. Norman had played a familiar role as the tragic figure. A year ago, Harrington was an emotional wreck at Carnoustie after making double bogey on the final hole and beating Sergio Garcia in a playoff. Backed by a four-shot lead, he was afforded a pleasurable walk along the dunes toward the 18th green, the only suspense his margin of victory.

Harrington became the first European in more than a century since James Braid in 1905-06 to win golf’s oldest championship two years is a row, smashing a pair of fairway metals into the par 5s Sunday that allowed him to pull away from mistake-prone Greg Norman and hold off a late charge by Ian Poulter for a four-shot victory.

“Padraig played brilliantly today, even though he tried to let it get away in the middle of the round,” Norman said.

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