16 17 WELCOME BREAK FROM THE NORM By DAVID KELLY trush environment if he is to lift the Claret Jug for a second time. EVERY sporting generation has those Two-time Open Champion Greg believes “I love watching Rory,” added Norman, executants blessed with a charisma to who can see a comparison between the in- electrify the stage and so it was when tensity surrounding his first Open success Greg Norman swaggered on to the first and the challenge facing the Holywood EYES ON THE PRIZE: Greg modern stars’ rivalry is a throwback to maestro. Norman sees similarities tee and thundered another drive down “From a talent perspective, he’s one of the between the Portrush the fairway. top two in the world, his driving skills are pressure on Rory McIlroy An Open champion in 1986 and 1993 with incredible but you know he came out of the and that which surrounded a tally of 88 Tour victories allied to 331 weeks the halcyon days of the 80s and explains box like a rocket at the start of his career and, his own Open success at as World number one point to the force of while he has had a pretty good year, he has Turnberry in 1986 (inset) Norman during a special period for golf levelled off a bit. He seems to stumble out of when he crossed swords with such fellow how his mental approach at Turnberry nowhere. As I say, I’m a huge fan of his but he greats as Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, does seem to have inconsistencies with his Tom Watson and Nick Faldo. putting stroke which show up over 72 holes. The Aussie’s flashing blonde hair, swash- “Rory has to be so strong in the mind — buckling persona and potent skills knitted can help McIlroy to seize the initiative you can just imagine all the white noise that perfectly into a golfing landscape that many is going to be around him. still fondly remember. “He has to make sure he does not get As the 148th Open Championship looms swept up in all that. I think that may have at Royal Portrush, Norman revealed how his amid increasing pressure of expectation happened a little to Brooks Koepka when he interest in the sport has been heightened by was going for the US Open three-peat. Rory those who now stride the upper echelons. can do it, he can win it because he has all “I think right now there is a lot about the capabilities of doing it but there will the game that has the feel of the 1980s and be enormous pressure. ’90s,” said Norman, speaking exclusively to “I know what that’s like because I Sunday Life. went into the Open Championship with people doubting me because I There were a dozen guys who could had led the first two Major Cham- easily have had the chance to win a pionships in the final round and Major and I think it’s the same today missed out. So, 1986 was very GREG NORMAN important for me. I had to block out all the white noise. “We had a 15-year cycle when there were “It sounds weird but I did it by about a dozen guys who could easily have touching my finger tips, feeling and had the chance to win a Major and I think thinking about what was under my it’s the same today. It feels like we’re entering feet, feeling a pebble as I stepped on a golden age for the sport and, for the first it, just shutting everything else out of time in 10 to 15 years, I now turn on the TV my mind, and it worked. to watch the tournaments from Thursday to “Of course every so often I would Sunday. Even when I’m in the gym I’ll put it GAME CHANGERS: Greg Norman says he and Seve Ballesteros used to have looked around and embraced on while I workout. give each other tips as they went round the course but his relationship the support because that was pretty “I enjoyed some great rivalries with Seve, with Nick Faldo (below) was not so close cool, but only in dribs and drabs so I Faldo, Nick Price… there were so many didn’t lose focus. That’s what it takes.” different personalities and I would say the “With Faldo, it was different. He was only to miss out Just like Norman, who faced down toughest competitor I ever faced was Curtis tough to play against because he never said on glory. the critics that questioned his ability Strange. Then you had someone like Seve a word the entire round and I was different. Finding himself to cross the line in Major champion- who you never knew what he was going to If Nick hit a great iron shot or in the ships by winning a second Open seven do. You beat him by just a stroke when you a good putt, I’d say ‘great shot’ same years later, so McIlroy has some who thought he should have been beaten by 10 but he never gave anything position point a doubting finger at a five-year strokes. back. But I wasn’t going to once Major drought. “In fact, my favourite practice rounds were change, I was always myself.” again ahead “It’s just golf, sport, a game... I never with Seve. We had a bit of a funny friendship. While Norman had a natural of the the final got swept up in the whole euphoria of I was a great driver of the ball and he had game for the generally benign 18 holes, Nor- having to do something special. I’m a an amazing short game so when we would conditions of the US PGA Tour, man knew he pretty humble guy who just loved to play practice together he would teach me how to the 64-year-old admits that it had to win the golf and that humility wasn’t just the key play out of bunkers and I’d give him advice was the challenge of the links mental bat- to my golf but to my humanity. on his driving. which fuelled his competitive tle — in the “Whether it’s the golf course or life, “We may have been number one and two edge the most. same way he you have to understand an experience in the world but here we were with no ani- This came into stark focus in believes Rory and then move on. The past is the past, mosity between us, just two guys trying to 1986 when he arrived at Turn- McIlroy will you can’t allow it to influence your future.” make each other better golfers. That was the berry, having led the previous have to en- McIlroy could probably do worse than coolest experience of my life and something two Major championships of the gage with to engage such a philosophical perspective I’ll never forget. year going into the final round the Por- over the next seven days.