Norman backfires again

There's no better way for a tournament to gain major status than for Greg Norman to collapse.

Norman did his bit for the Match Play Championship on Thursday, blowing a 3-up lead with four holes remaining in a second-round match against Eduardo Romero. Ironically, Norman might not have had the opportunity had he not championed a world golf tour five years ago that led to creation of this $5 million event.

Norman, who has a history of crashing and burning in the final round of major championships, was seemingly home free with four holes remaining. He needed to win just one more hole, or halve two, to finish off the Argentine and advance to a third-round marquee matchup with local favourite Phil Mickelson.

Instead, Norman let Romero reel him in, catch him on No. 18 and then beat him in 21 holes.

"This is what match play is all about," Norman said. ``Congratulations to him. He was a great competitor."

It took what Romero called the best shot in his life -- giving him two of those in a span of eight days -- to tie the match and force extra holes.

Romero won the 15th hole with a birdie and the 16th when Norman bogeyed. After halving the par-5 17th, they came into the decisive 18th with Norman 1-up.

Roomer's second shot was 169 yards to the flag, into the wind. He hit a 7-iron with a little fade, putting it a foot from the hole.

"Perfect. So I think it was the best shot in my life," said Romero, who had said the same thing about his hole-in-one in the opening round of the Qatar Masters eight days earlier.

Norman said Romero's shot at 18 "was as good as any I have seen."

Romero's birdie putt sent the match to extra holes. Romero could have won it on the second extra hole, when Norman's tee shot went left, landed on a cart path and went out of bounds.

"That is nothing but bad luck," said Norman, who missed the cut in his own tournament in Australia three weeks ago.

Romero missed a par putt that would have won it, but sank a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 3 for the victory that put him into Friday's match with Mickelson.

"I am very happy," Romero said. ``I know it is match play. You never know in match play what is coming on. I am a very hard guy when playing the match play."

Although Norman's proposal for a world tour went nowhere, it helped lead to the creation of the World Golf Championships, which pull together the best players on the planet.

Norman came into the Match Play Championship seeded 28th and Romero 60th in the field of 64.