Norman and Evert married in haste, says former wife

IT is game, set and mismatch on the fairway for Greg Norman and Chris Evert, and it's ended anywhere but heaven -- Greg Norman's second divorce could cost him new-found fitness and a bundle of money.

IT is game, set and mismatch on the fairway for Greg Norman and Chris Evert, and it's ended anywhere but heaven -- Greg Norman's second divorce could cost him new-found fitness and a bundle of money.

News that the marriage of Norman, winner of two golfing majors, and Evert, winner of 18 tennis grand slam singles titles, had hit the rough was delivered by a spokesman for Norman, who announced the split just days before Norman was due to captain an international team at the Presidents Cup.

Friends, speaking to London's Daily Mail on the condition of anonymity, said the split was no surprise to anyone who knew them. But it was news to Norman's first wife of 26 years, Laura Andrassy, who wasted no time talking to reporters about the demise of the marriage of her former husband and one-time friend.

Speaking from New York, an ebullient Ms Andrassy speculated that Norman and Evert loved themselves too much to love each other and jumped into marriage too quickly.

"You just can't get in a relationship like that so quickly," Ms Andrassy told Jose Lambiet, a columnist at The Palm Beach Post. Asked if she expected to see Norman crawl back to her, Ms Andrassy said: "No way, that wouldn't happen in a million years." Norman has not had anything to do with Ms Andrassy since she extracted $US100m when they divorced.

Norman and Evert were married at the quaintly named One & Only Ocean Club resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas last year, but both were apparently so set in their ways they retained separate residences.

"They were unable to agree on the most basic things about marriage," one friend was quoted as saying.

Norman's principal asset after his divorce from Ms Andrassy, was a $US100 million mansion called Tranquility, on Florida's Jupiter Island, where his neighbours include Tiger Woods and Celine Dion.

Evert, meanwhile, held on to a comfortable, $US3m ranch in a horse-riding community, complete with tennis court, that she'd once shared with former husband, skiier Andy Mills. According to the friend, neither of them was willing to sell up, nor give up the essentially separate lives they lived before they met.

The end of the marriage came after 15 months of dewy-eyed, cuddled-up, love-struck cavorting by the two 54-year-olds, who have five marriages between them (three for her, two for him).

Norman has publicly said how much Evert has improved his health, fitness, and game.