Who is Greg Norman

Greg Norman is golfs most complex and controversial celebrity and perhaps its most gifted and charismatic player. In Shark: The Biography of Greg Norman Lauren St. John tells his story in vivid images:

Winner of more than 70 tournaments, including the 1986 and 1993 British Opens, Greg Norman has reigned as the worlds number-one-ranked golfer for most of a decade and began 1998 as the PGA Tours career-earnings leader with almost $12 million. As ruthless in the boardroom as he is on the golf course, the Shark turned a $2 million stake in Cobra Golf into a payoff of more than $40 million, bought a Boeing 747 jet for his personal use, and launched a clothing line bearing his multicolored-shark motif.

Three parts Crocodile Dundee, two parts Jack Nicklaus, and one part Don Quixote, the jetsetting Shark is larger than life. He has raced Ferraris with Nigel Mansell, hauled marlin over the side of plunging boats, scuba dived with sharks, taken a joyride in an F-14, saved drowning friends, and entertained a US president at his Florida compound.

Yet Norman stands blond head and broad shoulders above golfs elite as the sports most notorious victim of cruel calamity. His dramatic losses at the 1986 PGA Championship, the 1987 Masters, and the 1996 Masters rank among Golfs most inexplicable defeats rendered by the most outrageous strokes of misfortune.

In this riveting and revealing biography, internationally acclaimed journalist Lauren St. John examines Normans conquests as well as his failures and his relationships with his father, his agents, fellow golfers, and caddies. Using her unparalleled access to dozens of people who know Norman best, including the Shark himself, St. John explains how Normans fear of bankruptcy drove him to win the 1986 British Open; exclusively reveals the background of the break-up with his first manager and his subsequent split with IMG; tells why golfs greatest natural talent has so often snatched defeat from the jaws of victory; and explains his tempestuous relationships with Jack Nicklaus and other top players.

If you want to gain insights into one of golfs most colorful personalities, you need this audio book. Listen to it online here:
Shark: The Biography of Greg Norman (audio sample) - If you like what you hear you may immediately download the audio book online!

Summary of major championship performances:

* Starts - 88
* Wins - 2
* 2nd place finishes - 8
* Top 3 finishes - 13
* Top 5 finishes - 19
* Top 10 finishes - 29
* Longest streak of top-10s in majors - 3

Major championships are shown in bold:

PGA Tour wins (20)

* 1984 (2) Kemper Open, Canadian Open
* 1986 (3) Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational, Kemper Open, The Open Championship
* 1988 (1) MCI Heritage Golf Classic
* 1989 (2) The International, Greater Milwaukee Open
* 1990 (2) Doral-Ryder Open, Memorial Tournament
* 1992 (1) Canadian Open
* 1993 (2) Doral-Ryder Open, The Open Championship
* 1994 (1) The PLAYERS Championship
* 1995 (3) Memorial Tournament, Canon Greater Hartford Open, NEC World Series of Golf
* 1996 (1) Doral-Ryder Open
* 1997 (2) FedEx St. Jude Classic, NEC World Series of Golf

European Tour wins (14)

* 1977 (1) Martini International
* 1979 (1) Martini International
* 1980 (2) Paco Rabanne Open de France, Scandinavian Enterprise Open
* 1981 (2) Martini International, Dunlop Masters
* 1982 (3) Dunlop Masters, State Express English Classic, Benson & Hedges International Open
* 1986 (2) Panasonic European Open, The Open Championship
* 1988 (1) Lancia Italian Open
* 1993 (1) The Open Championship
* 1994 (1) Johnnie Walker Classic

Wins in Australia (33)

* 1976 (1) West Lakes Classic
* 1978 (4) New South Wales Open, Traralgon Classic, Caltex Festival of Sydney Open, South Seas Classic
* 1979 (1) Traralgon Classic
* 1980 (1) Australian Open
* 1981 (1) Australian Masters
* 1983 (3) Australian Masters, Stefan Queensland Open, National Panasonic New South Wales Open
* 1984 (3) Victorian Open, Australian Masters, Australian PGA Championship
* 1985 (2) Toshiba Australian PGA Championship, National Panasonic Australian Open
* 1986 (4) Stefan Queensland Open, National Panasonic New South Wales Open, West End Jubilee South Australian Open, National Panasonic Western Australian Open
* 1987 (2) Australian Masters, National Panasonic Australian Open
* 1988 (4) Palm Meadows Cup, ESP Open, PGA National Tournament Players Championship, Panasonic New South Wales Open
* 1989 (2) Australian Masters, PGA National Tournament Players Championship
* 1990 (1) Australian Masters
* 1995 (1) Australian Open
* 1996 (2) Ford South Australian Open, Australian Open
* 1998 (1) Greg Norman Holden International

Other wins (22)

* 1977 Kuzuhz International (Japan)
* 1979 Hong Kong Open
* 1980 Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not a European Tour event at that time)
* 1983 Hong Kong Open, Cannes Invitational (France - not a European Tour event), Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not a European Tour event at that time), Kapalua International (United States)
* 1985 Alfred Dunhill Cup (United Kingdom - team)
* 1986 Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not a European Tour event at that time), Alfred Dunhill Cup (United Kingdom - team), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (U.S. - unofficial event)
* 1989 The Crowns (Japan Golf Tour)
* 1993 Taiheyo Masters (Japan Golf Tour), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (U.S. - unofficial event)
* 1994 PGA Grand Slam of Golf (U.S. - unofficial event), Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Paul Azinger and Fred Couples)
* 1995 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Brad Faxon)
* 1996 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Brad Faxon)
* 1997 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Brad Faxon), Andersen Consulting World Championship
* 1998 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (with Steve Elkington)
* 2001 Skins Game