Greg Norman is riding a new wave of popularity after his age-defying tilt at the British Open, which has seen him jump 480 places in the world golf rankings.
Ranked 646th in the world before he teed off, the 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.
Golf writers around the world have saluted The Shark’s bold performance in finishing tied third behind Padraig Harrington, despite his final-round 77 at Royal Birkdale.
“Greg Norman didn’t win, but he never stopped fighting in the way of a champion (with) some of the bravest, most thrilling golf he had ever played,” wrote British sports columnist James Lawton in The Independent.
“In the end he just could not fight beyond the weight of too many years and too much baggage. But he tried, how he tried.”
The Guardian’s Lawrence Donegan said Norman’s efforts were “a wonderfully diverting feature of a wonderful week, not least because they have served as a reminder that when all is said and done, sport is as much about personalities as it is about results”.
Jeff Powell likened Norman’s effort to Pele coming back to score for Brazil in the next World Cup.
“To march at the head of the field across four gale-force days on the treacherous links of Royal Birkdale is a feat of endurance which proved beyond scores of professional sportsmen half Norman’s 53 years,” he wrote in London’s Daily Mail.
“It hardly mattered that Norman failed to win. He had already performed a service beyond the call of duty for the game he has invigorated for 35 years.”
Martin Johnson from England’s Daily Telegraph was one of the few to touch on Norman’s past failures.
“It so nearly happened, but Greg Norman was undone by the man he has always feared most in the final round of a major championship. Himself.
“The Great White Shark has a history of turning into a fish finger when the pressure is on, and although old age is supposed to make you forgetful, Norman once again managed to remember how not to win from the front.”
However Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune remains an unabashed admirer.
“Cut Greg Norman some slack. Celebrate the fact that a 53-year-old finished third in a major. Even if he had played better, Norman wasn’t going to beat Harrington on this day.”
