Another Norman Collapse?

Yesterday was the finial round for the 137th British Open Championship. There was no Tiger for this tournament and I don’t really think a lot of people missed him. Not that he wouldn’t have added an extra layer of excitement to the week, but there was definitely enough other drama to make the casual golf fan turn in to watch. The fact that 53-year-old Greg Norman was at top the leader board every round was amazing. Also, the fact that David Duval actually made the cut and was in contention until he shot a 83 on Saturday. Then you have the defending champion, Padraig Harrington, playing with a hurt wrist and playing well! Through in Chris Wood whom is a 20-year-old amateur making a run on the finial day and you have a very exciting tournament.

It was Norman’s tournament to lose going into the first hole on Sunday. He seemed to stick with the same game plan that he had all week. He was going to be aggressive and not let the weather dictate how he played the game. That seemed to work well the previous days, but really backfired on him in the finial round. I would not categorize his play on Sunday as a collapse or a choke. I feel that he maybe should have changed his game plan after he bogeyed the first three holes. He should have put the driver away and stick to hitting low iron shots to keep the ball in the fairways. But then again, I guess he felt like staying aggressive would give him a better chance to get back in the hunt. Meanwhile, Harrington showed that he is one of the smartest guys on the tour. He took what Mother Nature gave him and played shots below the winds or used them to perfection. He defiantly knows how to play links golf and deserved the win. I was a little disappointed that Norman couldn't pull it out, but he has nothing to be ashamed of. Seriously, who thought he would be in the finial group playing for the championship? No one, including Greg Norman! So even without Tiger, the Open Championship was a must watch for golf fans. We were reintroduced to the Shark (Greg Norman) and his new wife Chris Evert. Also Patty showed us the proper way to play golf in a wind tunnel! Even though the overall ratings were down from last year’s tournament, I fell it was just as exciting! Now I am hoping Norman can keep the momentum going as he plays in the Senior British Open next week.