Almanac Golf: Then along came Smith …
4 in the morning must be the optimum time for ghost-laying. At that (Aust) time almost exactly 18 months ago, we got ourselves shot of Donald Trump. This morning, the exorcee (is that even a word? It is now!) was Greg Norman, the tournament ‘persona non grata’ whose name was similarly banned from utterance in a million homes tuning in last night.
He has always been a polarising figure. Touted as the Next Big Thing, by many including himself, for too long before actually doing anything, he silenced his already growing number of noisy doubters in 1986 with his first Major victory. I vividly remember that night-into-morning: at a share house in, would you believe, Cameron St, overcrowded with all the usual reprobates, watching Norman cream all comers. Sod work the next (Monday) morning! Sure it had been a bit late coming, but now watch the floodgates open! Except they didn’t. Doubtless his luck was awful. Names like Bob Tway and Larry Mize, memorable for producing late miracle shots to deny him, still invoke nightmares. Then came the 1993 Open. In England for the Ashes, I followed him and Nick Faldo around Royal St George on the Friday, then on the Sunday sat glued to the telly at my cousin’s place as Greg Norman, with world #1 Faldo on his home course breathing down his neck all the way round produced the most brilliant round of golf I had seen to that time, and again started, and would surely this time finish. cementing his place among the GOATs.
Then came the 1996 Masters, and the ‘worst round ever’. Faldo, trailing Norman by five shots as the last round began, won by six and mentally dominated and comprehensively destroyed him. (Gawn wrecked English no more completely in last years Grand Final, although he, unlike Faldo, was able to impose real physical pressure and real experience on his opponent. The rules of the game prevented Faldo using the former, and re the latter Norman was the older and more experienced player.) Norman never contended in a major again. (In contrast, Tim English learnt from his humiliation, improved out of sight and matched Max in the season opener, doing his best work towards the end of the match, and the two go round again next week with the All Oz ruck spot possibly on the table).
Such was the trauma suffered by a nation that had wasted a collective sickie to watch that Monday morning debacle that the country seemed to wash its hands of him, having had its gutful of his losing mainly, but also of his overweening ego and unending self-promotion (‘I was in absolute awe of myself today’), which desperately needed him winning to be bearable, and keen for his successor. In future years the likes of Steve Elkington or Geoff Ogilvie ‘saluted’ in Majors but never attracted the same hype, we had high hopes for Adam Scott who caught his versiuon of the Norman disease at the 2012 Open, but won at this next try and remains on the scene to this day (and indeed was level with the two Cameron’s for a moment around midnight last night), and Jason Day had all the talent but none of the luck and off-course more issues than the old Saturday Herald, but did manage one ‘slam’ before fading from the scene.
Then along came Cameron Smith with no fanfare, not even with exclusive rights to his own name. That name kept cropping up, as the winner at places in the US you had never heard of, as the bloke the writers and the legends were calling ‘one to watch’ and ‘most promising tour newcomer’ He could have won a major last year but he blew it late (‘oh hell, here we go again!’). He won the highly prestigious Players’ Championship. 2022 had not been marvellous for him before this morning, but he started the Open well, monstering St Andrews on Friday but stalling on Saturday. By the time he started last night, close to midnight, a few early finishers had already matched his score and obviously, seeing as he was four behind and the pack was massing behind him, it would take something amazing for him to not just nudge past Rory McIlroy but hold off the Scottie Schefflers and Tom Fleetwoods (and Adam Scotts) who were flying up the fairways ahead of him. Sitting back on the couch at 12.30 am, I determined that I would hit the sack at the first Smith bogey or missed six-footer.
It never came. His 64 was ‘amazing’ enough – by one shot. A year and two weeks after Ash Barty broke the Wimbledon hoodoo, the other latter-day British jinx has fallen. I hope I’m not imposing another by declaring that he will be past Norman’s two majors within two years.
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About Rick Newbery
Cam Smith was sublime in the last round. And the Old Course was a viper in waiting all tournament, Great achievement.
But his manager is a greedy prick, and I fear Cam will be caught up in the lost years of commercial wrangling over the pro sport’s ownership. There are a lot of outstanding players around and predicting future Major wins is fraught. Who’d have thought Rory would be stuck on 4 for 8 years. And Rahm has gone from next big thing to struggler inside a year. Lots of pro golfers seem to have a hot 2 years and never quite capture the same lightning in a bottle again.
Greg Norman is pushing Rupert Murdoch in my list of most despicable famous Australians. High bar.
Great golfing memories. Thanks Rick.
It’s a shame that the event itself, and Smith’s achievement has been usurped by this LIV shit. Interesting article Rick and agreeable forthright comments PB.