Shark Fires to Second Title
Armed with a six-shot lead at the start of the final round, Greg Norman wasn’t threatened in his march to a four-stroke victory in the Doral-Ryder Open in Miami. Norman closed with a 2-under 70 for a four round total of 23-under 265. Paul Azinger (68) and Mark McCumber (67) tied for second on 269.
“It just shows that I’m getting back to where I want to be,” said Norman, who ended a 27-month slump with a victory in the 1992 Canadian Open.
Three years ago, Norman put on a tremendous display at Doral, closing with a course-record 62 and winning the tournament with a chip-in on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. He did it again this week, matching his own course record in a decisive third-round charge.
Defending champion Nick Faldo finished joint sixth with Fred Couples. Azinger and McCumber posted four sub-70 rounds and nine others managed three sub-70 rounds. None of that mattered after Norman’s Saturday display left him six clear of the field.
The Doral-Ryder Open is widely known as the starting point of the season for many of the game’s best players. It often begins a five-week tune up in advance of the year’s first major. This was Norman’s first tournament victory of the season.