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Greg Norman inducted
to Hall of Fame
Larry Mize wasn't a topic of conversation Sunday night. Neither was Bob Tway.
Instead, it was a celebration of Greg Norman's grace under fire, where he found
himself so often during the prime of a Hall of Fame career.
The 46-year-old Norman -- the only player to lose all four major tournaments
in playoffs -- was one of six inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Sunday
night during a 90-minute ceremony at the World Golf Village.
Also honored were Payne Stewart, Karsten Solheim, Donna Caponi, Allan Robertson
and Judy Bell as the number of Hall of Fame members increased to 90 on a touching
evening on the East Coast of Florida.
Norman was the featured attraction, as he was during a tragic career that will
be remembered more for what he didn't win than what he did.
The Australian took the PGA Tour by storm in the mid-1980s but ended up getting
caught in his own wake, often drowning in one disheartening setback after another.
One was at the 1987 Masters, where Mize chipped in from some 140 feet en route
to victory. Another was at the 1986 PGA Championship, where Bob Tway holed a bunker
shot to win.
Norman also suffered a collapse at Augusta National in 1996, shooting a final-round
78 to let a six-stroke lead and that elusive Masters title slip through his hands.
Nicknamed "The Shark," the tanned, white-haired Norman spoke of his
setbacks and how they helped him become a great loser.
"The game of golf can give you a lot, but the game of golf can take a
lot from you," said Norman, who played in the PGA Tour's Franklin Templeton
Classic earlier in the day. "Being a great loser is probably the hardest
thing to do in life."
Norman said he learned that from Jack Nicklaus, whom he called a "great
winner."
Norman wasn't so bad at winning, either. He has two British Opens among his
18 PGA Tour titles, owns more than 70 triumphs worldwide and no one has been ranked
No. 1 in the world longer.
A contemporary of Norman's, Stewart was inducted just over two years after
he died tragically in a plane crash. He won 18 titles, including a pair of U.S.
Opens, while wearing his trademark knickers and tam o'shanter cap.
Stewart's wife, Tracey, was on hand Sunday, along with their two children.
The Stewarts would have celebrated their 20th anniversary a day before the ceremony.
"Payne always dreamed of having a Hall of Fame career," Tracey Stewart
said. "He would have cherished the honor of being with you here."
Bell did cherish the honor. A lifelong amateur elected through the lifetime
achievement category, Bell recently was diagnosed with cancer.
"They say it's treatable," said Bell, who was selected for the Curtis
Cup in 1960 and 1962 and captained the U.S. team in 1986 and 1988. "I'm optimistic,
and I'll to behave myself."
Solheim, who died last year of Parkinson's disease at the age of 88, was inducted
for a sound as much as anything else. He developed a putter that made a "ping"
noise and became one of his great innovations.
Caponi, a selection by the LPGA Tour's veteran's committee, won 24 titles,
including four majors, after turning professional at the age of 19. She currently
works as a television analyst.
Robertston also was a veteran's committee selection. Credited as the first
golf pro in the 19th century, he was the first player to break 80 at the Old Course
at St. Andrews.
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