Early years

Norman was born in Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia to Merv and Toini Norman. His mother was the daughter of a Finnish carpenter, and his father an electrical engineer. As a youth, he played rugby and cricket and was a keen surfer. His mother was a fine golfer with a single-figure handicap. Norman began playing golf at 15, somewhat late for a world-class player. Naturally left-handed, he played golf right-handed. Within about eighteen months, Norman went from a 27 handicap to a scratch handicap. Norman attended Townsville Grammar School in Townsville, Queensland (enrolled 1964) then moved on to Aspley State High School on the north side of Brisbane.

Career

Early professional career: 1975-1983

At the age of 20, Norman served as assistant professional under Billy McWilliam OAM at Beverley Park Golf Club in Sydney, New South Wales. His professional career had begun as Charlie Earp's trainee in the Royal Queensland Golf Club pro shop, earning A$38 a week.

In 1976, Norman turned pro as a tournament player, and that year earned his first victory at the West Lakes Classic at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, South Australia. He joined the European Tour in 1977, and had his first victory in a European event that same season, the Martini International, at the Blairgowrie Club in Scotland.

In 1980, Norman had an emphatic victory in the French Open, winning the tournament by ten shots. He won the Scandinavian Enterprise Open in Sweden with a course record of 64 in the final round. Later in 1980, Norman won the Suntory World Match Play Championship with a victory in the final over Sandy Lyle. Norman also won his first Australian Open that year, his first of five wins in that event.

In 1981, Norman finished in 4th place on his debut at the Masters in Augusta, finishing just three strokes behind the winner Tom Watson. Norman had a victory in the 1981 British Masters and he won his third Martini International tournament that year by holing a 20-foot eagle putt on the last hole of a rain-saturated Wentworth Club course to finish a stroke ahead of Bernhard Langer.

In 1982, Norman was the leading money winner on the European Tour. He won three European events that year, including successfully defending his British Masters title by an emphatic margin of eight shots to break the tournament record-winning margin of seven strokes by Tony Jacklin in 1973. The following year, Norman joined the U.S. PGA Tour.

In his first season on the PGA Tour in 1983, Norman had a runner-up finish in the Bay Hill Classic. American Mike Nicolette blew a five shot lead with five holes to play to tie over 72 holes with Norman. Nicolette won the playoff on the first extra hole with a par. Norman later said: "I'm an aggressive player. I was trying to make the putt (a 30-footer for birdie) and I was a little too firm." Norman three-putted for a bogey, missing a six-foot par putt.

1984-1985: First U.S. PGA Tour win

In June 1984, Norman won his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Kemper Open, winning by five strokes. He gained worldwide prominence a week later at the 1984 U.S. Open. Norman holed a dramatic 45-foot putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with former Masters champion Fuzzy Zoeller. At the next day's 18-hole playoff, Zoeller had a very comfortable victory, beating Norman 67-75. On the 2nd hole of the playoff, Zoeller holed an improbable 68-foot birdie putt, while Norman had a double-bogey 6 to fall three strokes behind. After nine holes, Zoeller led by five shots and he increased his lead to win by eight strokes at the end of 18 holes.

The 1984 U.S. Open was the first of what would be numerous narrow defeats, unlucky breaks and unfortunate collapses in major championships throughout Norman's career. He was able to put the defeat behind him and win the Canadian Open in July for his second win of the year. The following week he lost in a playoff at the Western Open to Tom Watson.

In 1985, Norman won the Toshiba Australian PGA Championship and the National Panasonic Australian Open. He had two runner-up finishes in the U.S. PGA Tour that year, finishing tied for second place at the Canadian Open and at the Bank of Boston Classic.

First major and the "Norman Slam" season: 1986

In 1986, Norman's many worldwide victories that year included four wins in Australia and two regular PGA Tour events; the Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational and the Kemper Open (for the second time) in a playoff on the sixth extra hole over Larry Mize, but 1986 is remembered for the Norman Slam or the Saturday Slam. Norman held the lead for all four majors through 54 holes. This meant he played in the final group for every major and had perhaps the best chance in history of winning the single season Grand Slam. Unfortunately for Norman he was only able to win the 1986 Open Championship at Turnberry.

At the 1986 Masters, Norman held the lead with Seve Ballesteros through nine holes on Sunday. Norman double-bogeyed the par-4 10th and fell out of the lead. With Norman seemingly out of contention, the focus moved towards Jack Nicklaus, Tom Kite and Ballesteros. By playing behind the leaders, Norman was able to rejoin the pack, impressively making four consecutive birdies on holes 14 to 17 to tie for the lead with Jack Nicklaus going into the final hole. Norman's tee shot on the par-4 18th finished in the middle of the fairway, but he pushed his 4-iron approach shot well to the right of the green into the spectators. He chipped his third shot to the green, 17 feet from the hole. Needing to hole his putt for a par to get into a sudden-death playoff with Nicklaus, Norman missed his putt and made bogey. Norman's caddie Pete Bender later said of Norman's 4-iron approach shot to the 18th: "Greg wanted five straight birdies. He wanted to make history. He wasn't going to go for the middle of the 18th green."

At the 1986 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Norman again led after 54 holes, taking a one stroke lead over Lee Trevino and Hal Sutton into the final round. However, Norman faltered on the final day, bogeying the 9th and double-bogeying the 13th for a round of 75 to finish six strokes behind the winner Raymond Floyd.

Norman finally broke through at the 1986 Open Championship for his first major title. Norman shot a brilliant second round of 63 on Friday at Turnberry. On the 18th green, Norman was 28 feet from the hole needing two putts for a round of 62, to break the record for the lowest-ever round in major championship history. However, Norman three-putted, missing a 6-foot par putt. His round of 63, which tied the lowest round in a major tournament, contained eight birdies, an eagle, three bogeys and six pars. Only 15 players broke par in the second round. Tom Watson described Norman's feat as "the greatest round ever played in a tournament in which I was a competitor." Norman survived the weekend's brutal conditions at Turnberry, with a final round of 69 to win The Open by five shots. After being presented with the Claret Jug trophy, Norman said: "Outside of Australia, Britain was the first place that accepted me as a professional golfer. To win my first Open in front of the British public is the greatest feeling ever."

Norman was again in contention at the PGA Championship, showing remarkable consistency during all four majors in 1986, the likes of which had not been seen since Bobby Jones in 1930. Once more Norman found himself in the lead at Inverness until he stumbled on Sunday again. A clear favourite for the title, he shot a 76. The tournament is famous for Bob Tway's hole-out from the greenside bunker on the 72nd hole. Tway eventually won by two strokes over Norman.

Norman's four wins in Australia in 1986 helped him to finish top of the Australian Order of Merit for the fifth time. He also topped the U.S. PGA Tour money list for the first time that year. In September 1986, Norman won the Panasonic European Open at Sunningdale Golf Club and the following month he had another victory in England, winning his third World Match Play Championship at Wentworth. Norman ended 1986 with ten worldwide victories and was officially ranked number 1 in the brand new Official World Golf Rankings.

Professional career: 1987-1990

At the 1987 Masters, Norman once again found himself tied for the lead at the 72nd hole. In his final round on the 18th green, Norman had a 20-foot putt for a birdie that would win the tournament. The ball trickled over the left lip of the cup, missing by millimetres. Norman later said: "I still don't know how the putt stayed out. I just couldn't believe it missed, nor could my caddie."

After Norman's par on the 72nd hole at Augusta, he found himself in a sudden-death playoff with Larry Mize and Seve Ballesteros. On the second playoff hole, with Ballesteros eliminated, Norman hit his approach onto the green with a chance at birdie. Mize on the other hand blocked his approach right of the green. Mize then holed the 47-yard (140-foot) chip. Norman missed his birdie effort and came up short for the second year in a row. Norman later said: "I didn't believe it was possible to chip in from where he was. I just couldn't believe it."

Norman had no wins on either the PGA or European 1987 tours. However, he won the Australian Masters in February 1987 and the Australian Open later in the year by a record ten shots at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, beating the previous Australian Open record winning margin of eight strokes by Jack Nicklaus in 1971. Norman's 1987 victory at the Australian Open lifted him back above Seve Ballesteros to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.

Norman had another four wins in Australia in 1988. He finished tied for 5th place at the 1988 Masters Tournament, with an opening round of 77 and a final round of 64, which tied the record for the lowest fourth-round score at Augusta. The following week Norman won the MCI Heritage Golf Classic at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in April 1988, inspired by a leukaemia-stricken teenager who got his wish to meet Norman and watch him play; he was only supposed to watch him for two rounds, but Norman arranged for him to stay until the tournament's completion, after which Norman gave him the winner's trophy.

At the 1988 U.S. Open, Norman tore tendons in his left wrist when his 7-iron struck a buried rock during his second round. After experiencing further pain at the next hole, Norman withdrew from the tournament and the following month also withdrew from the 1988 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in that year.

At the 1989 Masters Tournament, Norman came to the 72nd hole with a share of the lead, needing a par to make a playoff or a birdie to win. However, he missed a 12-foot par putt and bogeyed the hole, missing out on a playoff with Nick Faldo and Scott Hoch by one shot.

Norman had another chance at a major in 1989, this time at the Open Championship at Royal Troon. He played a final-round of 64, starting his round with six straight birdies, to force his way into a playoff with Mark Calcavecchia and Wayne Grady. Norman and Calcavecchia came to the home hole, the fourth in a four hole playoff, level. Calcavecchia sliced his drive badly to the right, but was in a playable position. Norman drove his ball into a fairway bunker 310 yards from the tee. After Calcavecchia hit his approach to five feet, Norman gambled from the bunker and the ball smashed into the bunker's face and limped into another. Norman thinned his next shot and the ball careered out of bounds. That was the end, as Calcavecchia took home the title.

In 1990, Norman missed the cut at the Masters for the first time in his career. After shooting two rounds of 78-72 for a 6-over-par 150, Norman spoke of his bewilderment and said that he was still "in a daze". He said that prior to the tournament he felt relaxed and thought he would win his first Masters.

In March 1990, however, Norman won the Doral-Ryder Open and then, for the first time, with assistance from the weather, Jack Nicklaus's Memorial Tournament: leading after 54 holes, rain forced the cancellation of the tournament's final round, making him the winner. Subsequently, Norman lost two tournaments in ways which directly echoed his losses to Mize and Tway, further cementing his reputation of nearly winning golf tournaments: he led the Nestle Invitational in Orlando, Florida by one shot until Robert Gamez found the 72nd hole with a 176-yard shot over water; a few weeks later, he was tied for the lead at the USF&G Classic in Louisiana when David Frost found the 72nd hole with a greenside sand shot to beat him by one stroke.

In the 1990 Open Championship at St Andrews, Norman began with two rounds of 66, leaving himself sharing the lead with Nick Faldo after 36 holes and the pair four shots ahead of the rest of the field. Faldo then shot a third round of 67, but Norman could only manage 76. Faldo commented: "Greg had a disastrous day. Nothing would go right for him and he didn't get any breaks." Norman finished the tournament tied for sixth place, while Faldo won by five shots.

Although 1990 was not Norman's strongest majors year, he finished top of the PGA Tour money list for the second time in his career and won the Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Award. Later that year, he won the Australian Masters in his home country for a final and record sixth time.

Professional career: 1991-2009

In 1991, Norman missed the cut at the Masters for the second successive year. He had only one top-10 finish in a major in 1991: a tie for 9th place in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. In 1992, Norman admitted how much he had been hurt by his near-misses in majors. He said: "I hid it inside me and wouldn't admit how much it hurt me. I was in denial."

After a career slump in the early 1990s, Norman turned to renowned coach Butch Harmon for help. Together, the two rebuilt Norman's game by solving mechanical problems that had crept into his swing. Great results ensued, including Norman's second major at Royal St George's in 1993. There, in ideal conditions, Norman defeated a star-studded leader board that included Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Corey Pavin. Norman returned with a 64, the lowest final round by a winner in Open history. Gene Sarazen, who stood at the 18th green, later said of Norman's achievement: "I never thought I would live to see golf played like this", while Norman's playing partner Langer called it the finest round he had ever witnessed. Norman's cumulative score of 267 is, to date, the lowest winning aggregate in Open Championship history.

The 1993 PGA Championship was again staged at Inverness. Norman had a final green putt of around 12 feet for victory that lipped right around the hole and failed to drop. He then lost the subsequent playoff to Paul Azinger on the second sudden-death hole, making him one of only two players - the other being Craig Wood - to have contested and lost playoffs in all four of the major championships.

During the following year, 1994, Norman obliterated the records for the lowest 18, 54 and 72-hole scores at The Players Championship. After opening with a course record-tying 63, he followed with three 67s to give him a final total of 264 strokes, or 24 under par - six strokes better than any previous winner.

Norman started 1995 with a third-place finish at the Masters, and again took the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open. Even though he held the lead for most of the day, he was passed by Corey Pavin on the back nine. In June, Norman won his second Memorial Tournament, a victory that marked the beginning of one of his best years on the PGA Tour. After his win at the Canon Greater Hartford Open, aided by a chip-in in for eagle on No. 14 in the final round, Norman overtook Nick Price as the number one golfer in the world. Later, he won the NEC World Series of Golf, holing a 70-foot birdie chip shot to defeat Billy Mayfair and Nick Price in a playoff on the first hole. He ultimately held the No. 1 ranking for 331 weeks in his career. He also topped the money list for the third time and was named PGA Player of the Year. 1995 is arguable Norman's greatest year even without winning a major title.

The following year, Norman came into the 1996 Masters Tournament having already won at the Doral-Ryder Open (though he also missed the cut at the Players Championship and the Bay Hill Invitational beforehand). He opened his championship at Augusta with a course record-equalling 63 which propelled him to the top of the leaderboard. He held the lead through three days for play. With five previous top five finishes at Augusta, and a 6-shot lead, Norman's long-awaited Masters victory seemed to be evident. In one of the worst meltdowns in major championship history (along with Ken Venturi shooting a final-round 80 in the 1956 Masters to lose by one shot, and Rory McIlroy's collapse, also shooting an 80 in 2011), Norman took a six-stroke lead into the final round and lost the tournament to Nick Faldo by five strokes, shooting a Sunday 78 to Faldo's 67.

Norman's 6-shot lead at Augusta evaporated quickly with three straight bogeys on holes 9-11, and after Norman found water on the par-3 12th hole, resulting in a double bogey 5, his playing companion Faldo had taken the lead. Norman tried to give himself a chance down the stretch including an eagle chip on the 15th which lipped out of the hole dropping Norman to his knees. Arguably the most infamous shot of his career was on the very next hole; a hooked tee shot into the water ending any chance at victory. U.S. television channel ESPN, as part of their "ESPN25" 25th-anniversary celebration, ranked Norman's 1996 Masters disaster as the third-biggest sports choke of the last 25 years.

Norman was one stroke off the lead after 36 holes during the next major (the 1996 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills), but then faded on the weekend—finishing five shots behind eventual winner Steve Jones.

In January 1997, Norman won his largest winner's check to date, one million dollars, when he won the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf (the precursor to the WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship), making birdie on the last hole to defeat Scott Hoch in the 36-hole final. Norman then won two tournaments in 1997, but they were his final victories on the PGA Tour. In 1998, Norman missed part of the season after suffering hip and shoulder injuries.

Norman did make one more run at the Masters in 1999, battling José María Olazábal on the final day, and even briefly leading the tournament after an eagle on 13, before fading to finish 3rd behind the winner Olazabal and Davis Love III. It was Norman's sixth top-3 finish at the Masters and his eighth top-5 finish at the tournament.

In July 2008, despite not playing in a major for three years, Norman finished nine over par in a tie for third at The Open Championship after being the 54-hole leader by two strokes. He set the record in becoming the oldest 54-hole leader in a major championship (broken the following year by Tom Watson, also in the Open) and earned an automatic bid to the 2009 Masters. Norman missed the cut with a 4-over-par 40 on the final nine holes with a 5-over 77 for the second day. His trip to the Masters was his first since 2002.

Norman played his warm up to the 2009 Masters Tournament at the Shell Houston Open on the PGA Tour at the Redstone Golf Club where he made the half-way cut. It was only the fourth cut he has made on the PGA Tour since 2004.

Though neither was in a major or PGA Tour event, Norman had two notable faceoffs with Tiger Woods. At the 1998 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia, Norman and Woods played a close match, with Woods winning 1-up. Under different circumstances, this could have been a very significant match beyond the star power involved, but since the International Team (Norman) won by a lopsided margin over the U.S. Team (Woods), this match had little effect on the final result, though it was a riveting match between the former and current No. 1 players in the world. (Besides the Woods match, the International Team's victory over the U.S. Team in Norman's home country was one of the great moments of Norman's career, and to date still the only win for the International Team in Presidents Cup matches).

Norman got payback of a sort in the 2001 Skins Game, in which he not only defeated Woods (as well as Colin Montgomerie and Jesper Parnevik), he also was the only person in Skins Game history to sweep all the prize money (1 million dollars) and leave the other players, empty handed. This was the only year that the Skins Game was contended under the controversial "validation" format.

Champions Tour

Norman turned 50 in February 2005, but has kept his distance from the senior golf circuit. Partly this is because of his other interests, but also because of back and knee injuries. In 2003, Norman said: "Hitting about four million golf balls has created unfortunate wear and tear." He had knee surgery in October 2005 and February 2006. Norman believes his back injuries could have been averted had he been introduced to the concept of golf fitness early in his career.

In May 2008, Norman played in only his third Champion's Tour event since turning 50, the 69th Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. Norman, having not played competitive golf regularly in the last several years, stayed in contention all week and wound up three shots behind eventual winner Jay Haas (+7), tying for sixth place. His wife at the time, tennis player Chris Evert, had been a large part of Norman's consideration to enter events on the PGA and Champions Tours. "I would doubt he'd go back full time," Evert said. "But for him to keep it up, one or two tournaments a month or whatever, would be great. I would 100 per cent support him if that's what he wanted to do."

After Norman's surprise success at the Open Championship, he continued his strong play, finishing in a tie for fifth at the Senior British Open Championship and fourth in the U.S. Senior Open after being the only player to shoot 72 or lower all four days. He finished 2008 playing in four majors and finishing in the top ten in all of them.

In the 2009 Senior British Open Championship, he held the 54-hole lead after playing three consistent rounds, but faltered on Sunday to finish tied for sixth, 3 shots behind eventual winner Loren Roberts.

Career achievements and legacy

Norman has earned more than $1 million five times on the U.S. PGA Tour, including three Arnold Palmer Awards as the Tour's leading money winner in 1986, '89 and '95. He was also the first person in Tour history to surpass $10 million in career earnings. He has 30 top 10 finishes in Majors, or more than 38 percent of those he has entered. His 20 PGA Tour wins in the 1980s and 1990s ranks second only behind Tom Watson (21 total) during this span. He also has the lowest total four round score in the history of The Open Championship (267, in 1993), and The Players Championship (264, in 1994).

In 2004, Norman said: "I just wanted to be as good as I could be. I work hard, I push myself hard, and I probably even expect too much of myself."

Norman's dominance over his peers (despite his comparative lack of success in the majors) was probably best expressed in the Official World Golf Rankings: Norman finished the season on top of the ranking list on seven occasions, in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996 and 1997, and was second at the end of 1988, 1993 and 1994.

Norman won the PGA Tour of Australia's Order of Merit six times: 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1988. He won the European Tour's Order of Merit in 1982, and topped the PGA Tour's Money List in 1986, 1990, and 1995. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average on the PGA Tour three times: 1989, 1990, and 1994; and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.

In 1986, Norman was awarded the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award, a feat he replicated in 1993 to join Muhammad Ali as a multiple winner of the award (now also joined by Roger Federer and Usain Bolt). In 2007, Norman was elevated to "Legend" status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. He received the 2008 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honour, at the 2008 Golf Industry Show in Orlando. Norman is a member of The Environmental Institute for Golf's board of trustees and also chairs The Institute's advisory council. He was also the recipient of the Golf Writers Association of America's 2008 Charlie Bartlett Award.

In 2009 Norman was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.

In 2012, Norman suggested that the best golfers in the world tend to have a 15-year cycle at the top of the game. He said that he knew his days as the world's leading golfer were drawing to an end with the emergence of Tiger Woods in 1996.

Norman has been a spokesman for companies including General Motors-Holden, which developed a Commodore model named after him. His own businesses interests include MacGregor Golf and Greg Norman Golf Course Design. Although he continues to play tournaments, his growing business interests take up an increasing amount of his time. His personal wealth is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars.

In 2015, the Professional Golfers's Association of Australia established the Greg Norman Medal.

Playing style

Norman had a bold and aggressive style of play. He is widely regarded as one of the best drivers of the golf ball in his era, and perhaps the greatest in golf history. In the fourteen seasons between 1984 and 1997, Norman finished in the top 20 in total driving on the PGA Tour twelve times and in the top 6 nine times (including first in 1988, 1989, and 1993). When driving long and straight off the tee with a persimmon (wood) clubhead in his prime, Norman intimidated many of his fellow professionals. His high ball flight enabled him to carry the ball very long distances. In 2009, Nick Price said: "The best driver I ever saw was Greg Norman."

With, however, the advent of the TaylorMade "metal-wood" and other golf-ball and golf-club technologies such as the variable-face depth driver, Norman's dominance was significantly diminished: the new technology enabled less precise ball-strikers to achieve equal or better accuracy and distance. In 1991, Norman was the second-longest driver on the PGA Tour's driving distance statistics; six years later, in 1997, he was tied for 75th place.

Norman's bold attacking style of play was rewarded with two rounds of 63 in major tournaments: at Turnberry in 1986 and Augusta in 1996. Other sparkling rounds in majors include his 64 at Royal Troon in 1989 and a 64 at Royal St George's in 1993. Both of Norman's major victories came at The Open Championship. In 2009, a year after finishing tied for third place in the British Open at the age of 53, Norman said that he believed links golf gives a better player an opportunity to do well because he has more of a repertoire of shots in his mind. Norman said: "The younger generation nowadays that grew up with the modern technology haven't had the ability to teach themselves how to play certain shots."

Other ventures

Norman's hobbies include offshore game fishing. He has owned a succession of increasingly large and luxurious boats (though his latest, called Aussie Rules, after the sport Australian rules football, may best be described as a small ship) for the purpose. He even described his "ugly" 1993 PGA Championship loss "in fishing terms, this was a mackerel in the moonlight—shining one minute, smelly the next." He became a wine lover in the 1970s while playing at tournaments in Europe. Based in Hobe Sound, Florida, USA he typically plays only one or two tournaments per year in Australia.

Charity

• Franklin Templeton Shootout is a team golf event hosted by Greg Norman. The event is played at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida. The shootout benefits CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation.
• Greg Norman Golf Foundation: The Greg Norman Golf Foundation was formed by Greg Norman and his father Merv Norman in 1987. The foundation provides professional guidance and instruction throughout Queensland to school students and those in other educational establishments, children with specific physical disabilities and junior members of golf clubs.
• The Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic arm of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), is a collaborative effort of the environmental and golf communities, dedicated to strengthening the compatibility of golf with the natural environment. In January 2003, The Institute evolved from The GCSAA Foundation, originally established in 1955, with a new name, mission and focus. The Institute concentrates on delivering programs and services involving information collection, research, education and outreach that communicate the best management practices of environmental stewardship on the golf course.

Broadcasting

On 23 April 2014, Fox Sports announced that Norman would join Joe Buck as its lead commentary team for its coverage of the USGA's championships beginning in 2015. However, following criticism of his performance at the 2015 U.S. Open, Norman was let go in January 2016.

Enterprises

Great White Shark Enterprises is a multi-national corporation headed by Greg Norman with offices in Jupiter, Florida and Sydney. The company's interests are primarily focused around golf and the golf lifestyle.

Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNGCD)

Norman has devoted much of his time to golf course design and established his Greg Norman Golf Course Design in 1987. GNGCD has completed more than 70 golf courses on six continents. Tens of thousands of players play his courses daily, from total newcomers to semi-professionals; some courses have received the Audubon Society Award for environmental stewardship.

Environmentalists and scientists have been critical of the environmental impact of other designs. In LaoLao Bay, a survey reports that after 20 years of construction, several negative impacts to the nearby environment have appeared, including destruction of the coral reefs. This is mostly in part to nearby road construction and not the golf course itself.

Medallist Developments

Medallist Developments is a residential developer which specialises in amenity-focused lifestyle communities. Medallist was formed in 1997 as a joint venture between Norman's Great White Shark Enterprises and Macquarie Group Limited.

Southern Cross Developments

Southern Cross Developments International ("Southern Cross") is a real estate development and investment company specialising. Southern Cross was co-founded by Greg Norman, and is based in the Florida headquarters of Great White Shark Enterprises.

Turf Company

Established in 1995, Greg Norman Turf Company licenses proprietary turfgrasses for golf courses, athletic fields and home lawns. GNTC owns the exclusive rights for GN-1 hybrid bermudagrass, which has been its main product. It also was the turf of choice for Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami and XXXV in Tampa, the 1999 World Series and the 2000 Summer Olympic Games at Stadium Australia.

Greg Norman Estates (wineries)

During Norman's first trip to the United States in 1976, when he was chosen to represent Australia in the World Cup of Golf in Palm Springs, he soaked up as much of the culture as he could, including trying California's wines. In the 1990s, Norman partnered with winemakers from Beringer Blass to launch Greg Norman Estates wineries.

Greg Norman Australian Prime

In 2006, Norman and an Australian beef producer, Australian Agricultural Company (AAco), announced the formation of a venture to develop and export a line of Greg Norman-branded steaks and beef products.

Valderrama Golf Course

In September 2010, The Stripe Group, co-owned by Norman, purchased the Valderrama Golf Club, in Sotogrande, Spain.

GSH Investments

On 26 October 2011 it was announced that the Greg Norman lead management and investment consortium GSH Investments made a multi-million US dollar investment in position at Max International, a direct selling company whose owners include Bill Guthy and Greg Renker of Guthy-Renker. The products are claimed to raise levels of Glutathione in the body.

Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy

On 21 August 2012, in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy held its headquarters' grand opening. The 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) facility, the second largest of its type in the United States, is located at Barefoot Resort, where he designed the Norman Course, and where Norman opened Greg Norman's Australian Grille in 1999. Norman also designed the Reserve Club at nearby Pawleys Island, and his name went on the Long Bay Club academy in 2010.

Autobiography

Norman released his autobiography, titled The Way of the Shark, in 2006.

Personal life

On 15 March 1997, then U.S. president Bill Clinton fell down a flight of stairs at Norman's Florida home, tearing knee tendons which required surgery.

While married to Laura, Norman commissioned the 228 ft luxury yacht Aussie Rules, built by the Australian ferry builder Austal/Oceanfast. The boat held four sports boats, including a 60 ft custom sportfisherman, along with stowage for related gear: 200 rods. Built of aluminium, she cruised at 15 knots with a range of 8,000 miles. The boat cost $70 million, but resulted in Austal making an A$18 million loss. The boat was quickly sold by Norman in 2004 for a rumoured $77 million to the founder of Blockbuster Video, Wayne Huizenga.

Norman was also an early customer for the Boeing Business Jet, which he had ordered with a custom fitted bedroom and office. However, the downturn in the Asian markets adversely affected his golf course design business, and he later cancelled the order after acting as an ambassador for Boeing. He eventually retained his Gulfstream V.

In September 2014, Norman was admitted to a hospital after almost losing his left hand in a chainsaw accident. He had been cutting back sea grape trees at his Florida home.

Norman supports the Richmond Tigers in the Australian Football League.

Marriages

Norman had a brief romance with British tennis player Sue Barker before he met Laura Andrassy, an American flight attendant. Norman married Andrassy on 1 July 1981. They have two children: Morgan Leigh, and Gregory. Gregory is a business management & organization major student at the University of Miami. Gregory also played with his father in a father-son team at the 2008 ADT Skills Championship in Aventura, Florida. The family lived in Hobe Sound, Florida.

In May 2006, Norman announced he and his wife would divorce. He refused to comment on the reasons for this, other than to say there was no third party involved. In November 2009, the divorce settlement was finally reached which would provide Laura Andrassy with a total of $105 million.

In September 2007, Norman announced he and American former tennis champion Chris Evert would marry. The couple became engaged on 9 December 2007 and on 28 June 2008 were married in a lavish multimillion-dollar event in the Bahamas. On 2 October 2009 Evert and Norman announced they were separating, saying in a statement that they "...will remain friends and supportive of one another's family." Norman filed for divorce on 8 December 2009 at a courthouse in Florida.

In October 2010, Norman announced his engagement to interior decorator Kirsten Kutner. The couple married on the weekend of 6 November 2010 on Necker Island.

Professional wins (90)

PGA Tour wins (20)

Legend

Major championships (2)

Other PGA Tour (18)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	3 Jun 1984	Kemper Open	−8 (68-68-71-73=280)	5 strokes	Mark O'Meara
2	1 Jul 1984	Canadian Open	−10 (73-68-70-67=278)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
3	4 May 1986	Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational	−27 (73-63-68-64-65=333)	7 strokes	Dan Pohl
4	1 Jun 1986	Kemper Open	−11 (72-69-70-66=277)	Playoff	Larry Mize
5	20 Jul 1986	The Open Championship	Even (74-63-74-69=280)	5 strokes	Gordon J. Brand
6	17 Apr 1988	MCI Heritage Golf Classic	−13 (65-69-71-66=271)	1 stroke	David Frost, Gil Morgan
7	20 Aug 1989	The International	13 points (5-4-11-13)	2 points	Clarence Rose
8	3 Sep 1989	Greater Milwaukee Open	−19 (64-69-66-70=269)	3 strokes	Andy Bean
9	4 Mar 1990	Doral-Ryder Open	−15 (68-73-70-62=273)	Playoff	Tim Simpson, Mark Calcavecchia, Paul Azinger
10	13 May 1990	Memorial Tournament	Even (73-74-69=216)	1 stroke	Payne Stewart
11	13 Sep 1992	Canadian Open	−8 (73-66-71-70=280)	Playoff	Bruce Lietzke
12	7 Mar 1993	Doral-Ryder Open	−23 (65-68-62-70=265)	4 strokes	Paul Azinger, Mark McCumber
13	18 Jul 1993	The Open Championship	−13 (66-68-69-64=267)	2 strokes	Nick Faldo
14	27 Mar 1994	The Players Championship	−24 (63-67-67-67=264)	4 strokes	Fuzzy Zoeller
15	4 Jun 1995	Memorial Tournament	−19 (66-70-67-66=269)	4 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia, David Duval, Steve Elkington
16	25 Jun 1995	Canon Greater Hartford Open	−13 (67-64-65-71=267)	2 strokes	Dave Stockton, Jr., Kirk Triplett, Grant Waite
17	27 Aug 1995	NEC World Series of Golf	−2 (73-68-70-67=278)	Playoff	Billy Mayfair, Nick Price
18	3 Mar 1996	Doral-Ryder Open	−19 (67-69-67-66=269)	2 strokes	Michael Bradley, Vijay Singh
19	29 Jun 1997	FedEx St. Jude Classic	−16 (68-65-69-66=268)	1 stroke	Dudley Hart
20	24 Aug 1997	NEC World Series of Golf	−7 (68-68-70-67=273)	4 strokes	Phil Mickelson

PGA Tour playoff record (4-8)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1983	Bay Hill Classic	Mike Nicolette	Lost to par on first extra hole
2	1984	U.S. Open	Fuzzy Zoeller	Lost 18-hole playoff (Zoeller:67, Norman:75)
3	1984	Western Open	Tom Watson	Lost to birdie on third extra hole
4	1986	Kemper Open	Larry Mize	Won with par on sixth extra hole
5	1987	Masters Tournament	Seve Ballesteros, Larry Mize	Mize won with birdie on second extra hole Ballesteros eliminated with par on first hole
6	1988	Independent Insurance Agent Open	Curtis Strange	Lost to birdie on third extra hole
7	1988	Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic	Seve Ballesteros, David Frost, Ken Green	Ballesteros won with birdie on first extra hole
8	1989	The Open Championship	Mark Calcavecchia, Wayne Grady	Calcavecchia won four-hole aggregate playoff Calcavecchia (4-3-3-3), Grady (4-4-4-4), Norman (3-3-4-x)
9	1990	Doral-Ryder Open	Paul Azinger, Mark Calcavecchia, Tim Simpson	Won with eagle on first extra hole
10	1992	Canadian Open	Bruce Lietzke	Won with birdie on second extra hole
11	1993	PGA Championship	Paul Azinger	Lost to par on second extra hole
12	1995	NEC World Series of Golf	Billy Mayfair, Nick Price	Won with birdie on first extra hole

European Tour wins (14)

Legend

Major championships (2)

Other European Tour (12)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	11 Jun 1977	Martini International	−11 (70-71-70-66=277)	3 strokes	Simon Hobday
2	28 May 1979	Martini International	E (75-67-72-74=288)	1 stroke	Antonio Garrido, John Morgan
3	11 May 1980	Paco Rabanne Open de France	−20 (67-66-68-67=268)	10 strokes	Ian Mosey
4	6 Jul 1980	Scandinavian Enterprise Open	−12 (76-66-70-64=276)	3 strokes	Mark James
5	17 May 1981	Martini International	−1 (71-72-72-72=287)	1 stroke	Bernhard Langer
6	31 May 1981	Dunlop Masters	−15 (72-68-66-67=273)	4 strokes	Graham Marsh
7	13 Jun 1982	Dunlop Masters	−17 (68-69-65-65=267)	8 strokes	Bernhard Langer
8	10 Jul 1982	State Express English Classic	−13 (70-70-70-69=279)	1 stroke	Brian Marchbank
9	22 Aug 1982	Benson & Hedges International Open	−5 (69-74-69-71=283)	1 stroke	Bob Charles, Graham Marsh, Ian Woosnam
10	20 Jul 1986	The Open Championship	E (74-63-74-69=280)	5 strokes	Gordon J Brand
11	14 Sep 1986	Panasonic European Open	−11 (67-67-69-66=269)	Playoff	Ken Brown
12	22 May 1988	Lancia Italian Open	−18 (69-68-63-70=270)	1 stroke	Craig Parry
13	18 Jul 1993	The Open Championship	−13 (66-68-69-64=267)	2 strokes	Nick Faldo
14	6 Feb 1994	Johnnie Walker Classic	−11 (75-70-64-68=277)	1 stroke	Fred Couples

European Tour playoff record (1-3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1986	Panasonic European Open	Ken Brown	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1989	The Open Championship	Mark Calcavecchia, Wayne Grady	Lost 4-hole playoff (Calcavecchia:4-3-3-3=13, Grady:4-4-4-4=16, Norman:3-3-4-x)
3	1997	Dubai Desert Classic	Richard Green, Ian Woosnam	Green won with birdie on first extra hole
4	1997	Peugeot Open de España	Mark James	Lost to par on third extra hole

PGA Tour of Australia wins (31)

• 1976 (1) West Lakes Classic
• 1978 (3) New South Wales Open, Traralgon Classic, Caltex Festival of Sydney Open
• 1980 (1) Australian Open
• 1981 (1) Australian Masters
• 1983 (3) Australian Masters, Stefan Queensland Open, National Panasonic New South Wales Open
• 1984 (3) Victorian Open, Australian Masters, Australian PGA Championship
• 1985 (2) Toshiba Australian PGA Championship, National Panasonic Australian Open
• 1986 (4) Stefan Queensland Open, National Panasonic New South Wales Open, West End Jubilee South Australian Open, National Panasonic Western Australian Open
• 1987 (2) Australian Masters, National Panasonic Australian Open
• 1988 (4) Palm Meadows Cup, ESP Open, PGA National Tournament Players Championship, Panasonic New South Wales Open
• 1989 (2) Australian Masters, PGA National Tournament Players Championship
• 1990 (1) Australian Masters
• 1995 (1) Australian Open
• 1996 (2) Ford South Australian Open, Australian Open
• 1998 (1) Greg Norman Holden International

Japan Golf Tour wins (2)

• 1989 The Crowns
• 1993 Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters

Other wins (25)

• 1977 Kuzuha International (Japan)
• 1978 South Seas Classic (Australia)
• 1979 Traralgon Classic (Australia), Hong Kong Open, Queensland PGA Championship
• 1980 Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not a European Tour event at that time)
• 1983 Hong Kong Open, Cannes Invitational (France - not a European Tour event), Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not a European Tour event at that time), Kapalua International (United States)
• 1985 Alfred Dunhill Cup (United Kingdom - team)
• 1986 Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not a European Tour event at that time), Alfred Dunhill Cup (United Kingdom - team), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (U.S. - unofficial event), Fred Meyer Challenge (with Gary Player; tie with Peter Jacobsen & Curtis Strange)
• 1993 PGA Grand Slam of Golf (U.S. - unofficial event)
• 1994 PGA Grand Slam of Golf (U.S. - unofficial event), Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Paul Azinger and Fred Couples)
• 1995 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Brad Faxon)
• 1996 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Brad Faxon)
• 1997 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Brad Faxon), Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf, Telus World Skins Game
• 1998 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (with Steve Elkington)
• 2001 Skins Game

Major championships

Wins (2)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1986	The Open Championship	1 shot lead	E (74-63-74-69=280)	5 strokes	Gordon J. Brand
1993	The Open Championship	1 shot deficit	−13 (66-68-69-64=267)	2 strokes	Nick Faldo

Results timeline

Tournament	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	T48
The Open Championship	CUT	T29	T10
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Masters Tournament	DNP	4	T36	T30	T25	T47	T2	T2	T5	T3
U.S. Open	DNP	T33	DNP	T50	2	T15	T12	T51	WD	T33
The Open Championship	CUT	T31	T27	T19	T6	T16	1	T35	DNP	T2
PGA Championship	DNP	T4	T5	T42	T39	CUT	2	70	T9	T12

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	CUT	CUT	T6	T31	T18	T3	2	CUT	CUT	3
U.S. Open	T5	WD	DNP	CUT	T6	2	T10	CUT	DNP	CUT
The Open Championship	T6	T9	18	1	T11	T15	T7	T36	DNP	6
PGA Championship	T19	T32	T15	2	T4	T20	T17	T13	DNP	CUT

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament	T11	CUT	T36	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	CUT
U.S. Open	CUT	DNP	T59	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	T18	T18	CUT	T60	DNP	DNP	T3	CUT
PGA Championship	CUT	T29	T53	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	3	3	8	9	12	23	17
U.S. Open	0	2	0	3	5	7	19	13
The Open Championship	2	1	1	4	10	17	27	23
PGA Championship	0	2	0	5	6	12	22	18
Totals	2	8	4	20	30	48	91	71

• Most consecutive cuts made: 18 (1981 Masters - 1985 Open Championship)
• Longest streak of top-10s: 3 (three times)

Team appearances

• World Cup (representing Australia): 1976, 1978
• Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 1982
• Dunhill Cup (representing Australia): 1985 (winners), 1986 (winners), 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996
• Nissan Cup: 1985, 1986
• Kirin Cup: 1987
• Four Tours World Championship: 1989
• Presidents Cup (International team): 1996, 1998 (winners), 2000

[ Source: Wikipedia ]