Greg Norman comeback: Australian golfer set to come out of retirement and play British Open

Greg Norman earnt the wrath of the sporting world after backing the controversial Saudi-backed breakaway league and it could play a huge part in his ambitious British Open comeback.

Greg Norman is eyeing a golf comeback

The Great White Shark is circling his prey again.

In a decision that will send shockwaves through the golf world, Greg Norman is secretly hatching plans for a one-off comeback to the majors, revealing he intends to tee off at this year’s 150th British Open.

“I‘m filling out the entry form now,” Norman told News Corp. “I think I’m going.”

Like everything in the Shark’s career, nothing is guaranteed and Norman’s timing will set hearts racing.

A polarising figure, the former world No.1 is a key player in the controversial breakaway league taking on golf’s establishment.

Funded by Saudi Arabia, the rebel league has been dismissed as ‘sportswashing’ - a ploy brutal regimes use to distract from their human rights abuses.

Norman strongly refutes this, but is still copping it from the critics while losing the public support of some allies.

American Phil Mickelson was right behind him but the heat got too much and he sheepishly issued an apology then withdrew from this month’s Masters at Augusta National.

Greg Norman of Australia holds the Claret Jug in 1986

Norman though has never been one for lurking in the shadows, which perhaps explains why he wants to rejoin the pack hunting for this year’s British Open even though the golfing gods clearly turned on him long ago.

Pressed on whether he was serious about entering the British Open or whether it was an elaborate publicity stunt to promote his rebel tour, Norman said he was genuine about wanting to play.

“I think I can still get in,” he said. “It‘s the 150th. I’m a past Open champion. I love St Andrews.

“If there‘s a moment in time that I would consider going back and teeing off one last time. Maybe this is it.”

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Greg Norman is set to return to the golf tour 12 years after retiring

A two-time British Open champion, Norman hasn’t played a major for 12 years and at 67 he will need to earn his place through qualifying unless officials bend their strict rules and grant him an exemption.

Former champions lose automatic entry once they reach the age of 60, although there have been exceptions with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson both making their swansongs at St. Andrews after turning 65.

Norman played the last of his 27 British Opens at Turnberry in 2009 but wants to return this year because it’s the 150th edition and is being played at the 16th-century Old Course.

“I love St Andrews. I love the history, I love the fact that you can play it backwards,” Norman said.

“There’s not a golf shot out there that’s boring to me. Everything’s got character, every shot’s got to be played, every club in your bag has got to be used.

“There‘s so much goodness about the golf course and it’s stood the test of time.”

But past success and sentiment alone may not be enough to get him a start with officials from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club telling News Corp there would be no wildcards offered this year.

However, Norman could still get the chance to play the coastal links again with organisers dangling another carrot, a commemorative tournament for former Claret Jug winners scheduled for the days leading up to the mid July championship.

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“We have a Celebration of Champions event planned for the Monday of Open week,” a spokesperson told News Corp. “We will be announcing more details about it in due course.”

For a generation of Australians who lived through all of Norman’s ups and downs, the sight of the Shark prowling the fairways and greens at the home of golf is long overdue.

One of just four Australians to win the Claret Jug, Norman rightly holds a special place in the history of the world’s oldest and most revered major.

Renowned as much for the graceful way he accepted his gut wrenching losses as for any of his triumphs, Norman was crowned champion in 1986 at Turnberry in Scotland, then again in 1993, at Royal St George’s in south-east England.

No Australian has won the tournament since.

Norman recorded an astonishing 10 top-10 finishes from 1977-2009, including a third place finish in 2008 when he was in his 50s, and was always immensely popular, drawing massive galleries to every hole he played.

Although officially retired from tournament golf, Norman is still incredibly fit and active, looking tanned and buff when he spoke with News Corp from his Florida mansion, shirtless and relaxing on a recliner against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean and swaying palm trees.

But the Shark has another pressing problem.

He may have been golf’s biggest crowd puller in his heyday but he hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the old school tie network the same way as The Golden Bear and Huck.

A rebel with a cause, Norman joined Fox Sports in backing a rebel World Tour that threatened the PGA’s tight grip on the game in the mid 1990s.

And as the founding chief executive of LIV Golf, which owns the breakaway Super Golf League, he’s ruffling more feathers.

The announcement of an eight-stop rebel series, with tournaments in Britain and another at one of Donald Trump’s private courses in the United States, has led to Norman being accused of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses, a claim he rejects.

“We are here to play golf, serve fans, grow the game, and give additional opportunities to players,” he said.

“Golf is good for the world and that includes Saudi Arabia.”

Originally published as Greg Norman comeback: Australian golfer set to come out of retirement and play British Open