The Shark is in the Clubhouse with the Lead in the British Open

[Dirty]

Norman takes clubhouse lead at Birkdale

July 18, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports

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SOUTHPORT, England -- So, Greg Norman, how are you enjoying the honeymoon?
A month after marrying tennis great Chris Evert, the Shark has turned back the clock at the British Open, a major he won two times in his prime but never thought was still there for the taking at age 53.
For the second straight round, Norman matched par with a 70 Friday at brutally tough Royal Birkdale and will head to the weekend with the lead or, at the very least, in contention.
Who would've believed it?
Certainly not Norman.
"Nope," he said bluntly. "My expectations were almost nil coming in, to tell you the truth. I hadn't played a lot of golf."
With 36 holes to go, Norman still considers himself the longest of long shots, and he's got players half his age -- such as 26-year-old Camilo Villegas, who shot the best round yet with a brilliant 5-under 65 Friday -- ready to chase him down over the final two rounds.
Still, it was amazing to see Norman's name atop the leaderboard at a tournament he won in 1986 at Turnberry and then again in at Royal St. George's seven years later.
"You feel like you're stepping back in time," he said, his bride watching proudly from the back of the room after following him around the links course on another windy, damp day. "Still, my expectations are still realistically low, and I have to be that way, too. ... I haven't been there for a long time."
Norman's focus has certainly been elsewhere in recent years as he cut back on his golf, turned to his myriad business interests and endured a messy, costly divorce. Recently, he was more concerned about planning his wedding to Evert than prepping for the Open, one of the rare golf events on his schedule.
The two got married in the Bahamas less than three weeks ago, then kept the honeymoon going by heading across the Atlantic.
"The least of my worries was getting out there and practicing," Norman conceded. "My mind has really been elsewhere. Justifiably so, too."
With no offense to Norman's steady play, no one was hotter Friday than Colombian heartthrob Camilo Villegas, who started his round with two bogeys but closed with five straight birdies -- rolling in putts of 16, 6, 16, 3 and 20 feet.
"I obviously played unbelievable," he said. "My caddie just told me to keep battling, keep grinding."
Villegas, dubbed "Spider-Man" for his unique style of reading putts and one of golf's fashion leaders, has come across as more flash than substance. He's never won on the PGA Tour, but put himself right in contention at a tournament known for unlikely champions, including Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton.
The charismatic Colombian had eight birdies overall. He capped his amazing run at the end by striking the flagstick with his approach at No. 18, then sinking the putt after the ball ricocheted onto the fringe.
Even though he's used to a more balmy climate, Villegas wasn't bothered by the chilly, wet conditions at his first British Open. The temperature struggled to reach 60, a light mist fell much of the morning and a stiff breeze forced everyone to put on an extra layer of clothing.
"It's the same for everybody," Villegas said. "Who cares?"
Norman was two strokes ahead of the field until he made a mess of No. 17. He put two shots in the rough and another in a backside bunker, but rolled in a 12-footer for bogey that limited the damage.
After a perfect drive on No. 18, Norman walked up the fairway twirling his club and taking in a huge roar from the British gallery, which knows him as a two-time Open winner, not the guy who squandered numerous chances to win majors in the States.
Norman's approach came up far short of the flag, then he rocketed the putt 20 feet past. Facing another bogey, the Aussie sank a par saver, giving the slightest hint of a fist pump, then a tip of the cap as his caddie patted him on the shoulder.
"That was quite an ordeal last few holes," Norman said. "I felt like it was getting away from me a little bit."
Norman birdied three holes on the front side to offset a double-bogey at the gargantuan sixth, leaving him as the only player with a score that didn't have a plus sign in front of it heading into the afternoon.
Of course, a host of top players were just teeing off, all of them hoping to avoid the cold, soaking rain and howling winds that made life miserable for the early starters Thursday. That group included Retief Goosen and Mike Weir, who both opened with 71s in brutal conditions and started the second round just a stroke off the lead.
Those who went out early Friday found the course a bit easier. Then, a pounding rain struck suddenly around lunchtime, giving everyone an intimidating glimpse at what might await those with p.m. tee times. The forecast called for potentially heavy showers throughout the day on top of an ever-more-menacing wind that could be gusting to 35 mph for the late finishers.
Rocco Mediate, who shared the first-round lead with Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby at 69, couldn't match that score but was still in contention. A double bogey at No. 11 marred the American's round, but he tapped in for birdie at the final hole to cap a 73 that left him two strokes behind Norman.
Mediate is following up on the U.S. Open, where the 45-year-old journeyman gave Tiger Woods all he could handle until losing a 19-hole playoff. He doesn't have to worry about Woods this time -- the world's best player is sitting out the rest of the year recovering from knee surgery.
"It made me think I can do it again," Mediate said. "I don't know what will happen, but I know I'll be more comfortable."
McDowell was struggling -- with four bogeys and no birdies -- until a 3-wood at No. 16 set up a short birdie putt. He finished with a 73 and was tied with Mediate at 142, as was Allenby (73) and Jim Furyk (71).
Sergio Garcia, looking to make up for a devastating playoff loss to Padraig Harrington at last year's Open, rolled in a 75-foot birdie at No. 4 but ran into trouble after the turn. He bogeyed the 10th and double bogeyed the next hole on the way to a 73, five strokes behind Norman.
Trying to make the cut were several big names who had a rough time Thursday. Ernie Els and Vijay Singh had to overcome opening-round 80s, while Phil Mickelson hoped to bounced back from a 79.

AP NEWS
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Norman takes clubhouse lead at Birkdale - Golf, PGA Tour - CBSSports.com Leaderboard, Schedules, Stats

[Grand Master B]

unbelievable. How long can he hold up? I'm pulling for him!

[d ray]

oh my, they just showed an awesome bunker shot he had on 16. what a round. how about Villegas shooting a -5 65? holy wow!

should be a great weekend.

[Dirty]

Norman was one of my alltime Faves... I hope he Wins it as well... wouldn't that be one hell of comeback to the Tour :Bravo:Bravo

[Grand Master B]

what are the tv times for the weekend?

[Dirty]

Here are the U.S. broadcast times for the British Open. Times listed are Eastern: Thursday
7 a.m.-7 p.m. - TNT
Friday
7 a.m.-7 p.m. - TNT
Saturday
7-9 a.m. - TNT
9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. - ABC
Sunday
6-8 a.m. - TNT
8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. - ABC

[d ray]

ABC Sat - 8am-1:30pm

ABC Sun - 7am-12:30pm

[d ray]

mine are central LOL, dirty beat me.

[Reno Paul]

I woke up and Norman is still in the lead........Just about as surprising is David Duval only 3 shots back right now..........

Perhaps Greg marrying Chrissy Evert is giving him good luck.

If I don't win with any of my golfers, I'll be rooting for The Shark.

[Dirty]

Duval is another I would love to see get it turned around.. from Top Player in the world to obscure player because of injuries... damn shame. He was always one of my Faves as well

[Reno Paul]

Duval only one shot back of the lead right as of now........WOW

Who woulda thunk it????????

[Grand Master B]

Duval is another I would love to see get it turned around.. from Top Player in the world to obscure player because of injuries... damn shame. He was always one of my Faves as well

when I heard his name on PTI I had a hard time believing it. Another guy I would love to see get a nice payday.


Thanks for the TV times guys.

[Reno Paul]

K.J. Choi has the lead at the halfway mark at one under par..........

I don't know what is the better story right now......Norman or Duval????

[Dirty]

Shaping up to be a good one

[Cooper]

you guys know as well as I do that Greg Norman has NO CHANCE at winning this golf tournament.

I agree though, that it would be awesome if he won. It would be a damn miracle. You have to really feel for the guy, as many times as he choked in his prime, it would be a great moment in sports for him to finally win one.

[YeahBoyHowdy]

Cooper - you beat me to it. As much as I'd like to see Norman hang in there, I hope he folds on Saturday. I can't bare to watch another '96 Mastersesque collapse again on Sunday............don't forget how painful that one was to watch. Faldo was almost embarassed to take the trophy.

[NickPappagiorgio]

Id love to see Norman have a good Saturday because it will lead to yet another Norman gag job. The guy is a complete and total prick, the best thing is to watch him embarrass himself on TV ala the Masters

[YeahBoyHowdy]

Id love to see Norman have a good Saturday because it will lead to yet another Norman gag job. The guy is a complete and total prick, the best thing is to watch him embarrass himself on TV ala the Masters

lmao.....i was trying to be diplomatic.

[NickPappagiorgio]

F*ck him, he won the event in Hartford one year and didnt want to play the following year. So instead of not showing up or bowing out gracefully, he plays the first round and then says he "mistakenly" played with a test ball that was not approved by the PGA and DQed himself. This prick cant lose enough for me.

Sorry for sugar coating my feelings

[Reno Paul]

Norman with the lead by two strokes coming into Sunday........WOW!!!

Does he win or does he have another major meltdown??????

Stay tuned..............