Shark Attacks Again
Greg Norman, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, won his third PGA Grand Slam of Golf at the Robert Trent Jones course in Poipu Bay Hawaii.
Norman, who did not win one of golf’s four major championships in 1994, becomes the first alternate invited to the Grand Slam since the format was restructured and changed to a two-day, 36-hole event in 1991. He also became the first back-to-back winner of the event.
He posted a 6-under-par 66 final round – including an eagle three on the 18th hole – for a 36-hole total of 8-under 136. Norman hit a 234-yard 5-iron approach to the final hole that landed softly five feet from the pin. His closing 66 was one shot off the course record Ian Woosnam set in 1991.
“It was actually fun to play in conditions like this,” said Norman. “You get to play those shots you never practice — 400-yard drives, a 5-iron from 120 yards and an 8-iron from 200 yards — all of which you usually don’t have. You could throw the yardage book out the window.”
Nick Price, the 1994 British Open and PGA Champion, was three strokes behind with a final-round 69 for a 139 total. Price closed to be one stroke behind Norman on the 10th, but dropped two strokes back with a bogey on 16.
Norman holds the No. 2 spot on the PGA Tour money list with $1,330,307. Ernie Els finished third after a closing 71 and Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal finished at even par. The four players amassed 28 birdies during the two-rounds.
This year, Norman received his sixth Australian PGA Tour Award and his third Vardon Trophy, for the lowest adjusted scoring average of 68.81. He won the Johnnie Walker Classic in February and The Players Championship in March.