Canadian Open to Australian
Greg Norman birdied the second extra hole and beat Bruce Lietzke in a playoff for the Canadian Open championship in Oakville, Ontario.
Norman had gone 27 months — since the 1990 Memorial Tournament — without a win before he sank his 2 1/2-foot putt for a birdie four on the 18th hole at Glen Abbey Golf Club.
Norman and Lietzke, a two-time Canadian Open champion, finished at 8-under-par for a four-round total 280. Each let leads slip away on the final day before the pair, playing together Sunday, birdied the last hole of regulation.
They shared top honors at the end of regulation play after a wild run down the stretch that saw both Fred Couples and defending champion Nick Price leading or sharing the lead at one time or another on the back nine.
In an awesome finishing performance, the long-hitting Norman, blasted a 3-wood 240 yards across water to the 18th green. The Shark was back on the attack.
“It was like somebody put a coin in the jukebox and the right song started playing,” said Norman. “I had almost forgotten what it’s like to win a tournament. It’s been a long time. This was a big step. A huge step. It got the gremlins out of my head. Now I can take it from here.”
This year’s tournament had all the makings of Norman’s 1984 victory, where he started cautiously — posting a 73 in the first round — but soon found form as the tournament progressed.
At the halfway point, Norman shared the lead with Price on 139. Corey Pavin was third and Lietzke was fourth. Norman held the lead after 54 holes, but was under pressure from five other players who would not give up the chase.
“There’s no better experience than to have that rush of adrenaline and feeling of total control,” said Norman after the match. “You know nobody else in the world can do what you’re doing right then. Nobody.”