Shark by Two
The International, in just its fourth year as a PGA Tour event, is rapidly gaining respect among players and patrons, and Greg Norman a dose of star power that should boost the tournament to even higher levels of prestige.
Tournament founder Jack Vickers had ambitions to attract the very best names in the world, and he has always been keen to see one of the big fish land the trophy. He got his wish this week.
Norman was on the attack from his very first tee shot displaying a combination of smart, aggressive play that one needs to accumulate points. Contestants gain eight points for the rarest of golfing feats, a double eagle, five points for an eagle and two points for a birdie. No points are awarded for a par, and players lose one point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.
The field is reduced after 36 holes and then after 54 holes, and then it’s a mad dash to the finish line by means of an 18-hole sprint on Sunday. Norman won the event by tallying 13 points in the final round. It was his eighth PGA Tour title since joining this circuit fulltime in 1983. Clarence Rose finished alone in second with 11 points.
Norman raced out of the gate with birdies on five of his first eight holes. He held off Rose with a clinching birdie on the par-5 17th. Rose, who survived two sudden-death playoffs during the week, considered himself lucky to enjoy the spoils of his runner-up finish.
“For me every victory is a good victory,” said Norman. “But when you can come to a tournament like the International – with its different format in scoring and its different altitude – it does give you a special feeling to make all those adjustments in just a few days and play well enough to win.” Norman amassed one eagle, 17 birdies, 48 pars and six bogeys over the course of 72 holes at Castle Pines Golf Club.
The International provides a respite from the typical string of stroke-play events on the PGA Tour. Its scoring system rewards players who are willing to take a gamble, and that suits Norman’s style of play just fine.