THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 15, 1996 TAG: 9604150152
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Some of the drama of Sunday's final round of the Masters was lost when CBS cut away from Augusta National before Greg Norman could be fitted for the ceremonial green straitjacket.
Drama is what the velvety TV voice pitched to viewers as we watched the world's best and most attractive golfer bleed away his Masters championship.
Drama this may have been, but it wasn't for the squeamish. As golf theater goes, this could only be appreciated by students of the macabre.
One supposes that Norman would willingly trade one of his two helicopters, five boats or six Ferraris for a single Masters title.
Any modern golfer of his stature is rich beyond dreams, but Norman's wealth and flamboyant style only magnify his Masters disappointments.
So do his accomplishments on the PGA Tour, where his top-10 finish percentage puts him second only to Jack Nicklaus and miles ahead of anyone else who has ever played.
He is the all-time leading money winner and the most captivating figure currently playing the game. Compared with Norman, every other PGA golfer has the panache of a designated driver.
But of someone so gifted, more is expected.
More than two major championships. More than zero green jackets.
Now, one supposes, people will start dusting off the ``Great White Sham'' stories. It's to be expected when, once again at Augusta, flamboyance goes down in flames.
But this Norman defeat bore no resemblance to the '87 Masters, when Larry Mize's prayer was answered.
This wasn't '86, when Norman lost the Masters on the last hole to the legendary Nicklaus.
And it definitely wasn't the '86 PGA, when he was be-Twayed by an improbable trap shot.
After those near misses, no one would have blamed Norman for seeking the services of a shrink. On a day when he lost a six-shot lead, he needed a tourniquet.
Methodical overcame mercurial in the final round. And yet, amid all this fascinating Norman rubble, the victory by three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo is a secondary storyline.
Faldo's excellent 67 looked workmanlike compared with Norman's horribly inspired self-destruction.
There was Norman, screwed a half-turn too tight, reeling off three bogeys in a row. And just when the voices on TV called for the Shark to hitch up his pants, he promptly dumped a tee shot into the creek.
Bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey. Incredible.
As Norman pondered his demise, the sun shined through the mesh weave brim of his trademark hat. On the TV closeups, the shadow over his face looked like a dark veil.
Norman's bright Masters morning had turned to mourning. His brilliance in the first three rounds only turned up the volume on regret.
Now how does Norman come to grips with losing a green jacket that should already be hanging in his closet? How does he react next time he's out front in a major championship?
The rest of us are left to ponder how it is that a golden boy with talent from the golf gods seems fated to fail on his sport's most sacred sod.
An Aussie may have just blown America's greatest tournament, but you can't tell me the drama was anything but Greek. by CNB