Greg Norman Lacks ‘Respect’ for Legendary Masters Adversary as Long-standing Feud Resurfaces Three Decades After Golf’s Most Notorious Collapse

There’s no doubt that Greg Norman stands tall among Australia’s greatest golfing legends.

With an impressive tally of 88 titles across the major tours globally, a remarkable reign as world No. 1 for 331 weeks, and induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001, his achievements are extensive. In recognition of his contributions, Australia’s premier golf accolade for the year’s top player is now known as the Greg Norman Medal.

While he clinched the Open Championship on two occasions—1986 and 1993—his legacy is somewhat marred by his struggles to secure additional major titles. He was a runner-up three times at The Masters, twice at the PGA Championship, and also twice at the US Open.

However, it is his infamous collapse at Augusta National in 1996 that sadly remains etched in the memory of golf history.

This week commemorates three decades since one of the most iconic and lamentable debacles in sport, and a long-simmering rivalry with the man who triumphed over him that day has reignited.

A SHARK ON FIRE

In April 1996, Norman was 41 years old and poised to add another major victory to his name. Already a two-time major winner and the world’s top-ranked golfer, he was the clear favourite for the revered green jacket at the most celebrated tournament in golf.

Norman began his pursuit of the Masters title in dazzling style, recording a course record 63 in the opening round to seize the lead, which he held until Saturday evening.

After round three, he walked off the course with a commanding six-shot advantage over England’s Nick Faldo, and considering he had been runner-up at The Masters twice before, it seemed inevitable that Norman would finally capture the title.

Faldo, after sinking a one-putt on the 18th during the third round, ensured he would be sharing the final round with Norman. Had he missed the putt, Norman would have faced 25-year-old Phil Mickelson instead.

At that point, Faldo was already a two-time Masters champion, while Mickelson was an emerging talent still finding his feet at Augusta.

Faldo’s cool composure on the course often rattled his competitors. Many believed Faldo was likely the last opponent Norman would have wanted to face on the final day.

Heading home on Saturday night, Norman carried the pressure of the golfing world on his shoulders along with his six-shot lead.

“I didn’t sleep a wink,” he later reflected.

THEN IT ALL WENT AWRY

As the tournament progressed, a British journalist quipped to Norman as he departed Augusta on the Saturday night, “Not even you could stuff this up.”

Upon returning home, Norman discovered that his then-wife Laura had already planned a party to celebrate what was presumed to be his Masters victory.

“I realised my plane was flying in to pick up guests for a party that had already been planned,” Norman recounted. “That shook me up a bit. Just bad karma.”

On Sunday morning, he awoke to see remarks from renowned golf instructor Peter Kostis, who had made critical comments about Norman’s swing on the Golf Channel.

In a fit of frustration, Norman called CBS, demanding to know why those comments were aired.

Many analysts later speculated that Norman was understandably rattled by the time he arrived at Augusta National to commence his final round.

“The Greg Norman who departed the course on Saturday night was not the same Greg Norman who came back on Sunday,” noted his former swing coach, Butch Harmon. “You could see he was tense, both with us and with himself.”

As Norman stepped onto the first tee, he appeared visibly tense, while Faldo exhibited an air of calm confidence.

Norman missed a straightforward par putt on the first hole, dropping his first shot. Yet it was on the back nine that his game truly began to unravel.

After mistakenly hitting his approach on the ninth, Faldo seized control of the match. By the time they reached the 12th tee, they were neck and neck on the leaderboard.

On the par-3 12th, part of the daunting Amen Corner, Norman again misplayed his shot, leaving his ball short, which then rolled back into the water. A double bogey followed, and suddenly Norman found himself playing catch-up.

It was on the 15th hole that his nightmare truly manifested. His near-perfect approach settled just a few feet off the green. His subsequent chip flirted with the hole but failed to drop; had it been mere millimetres to the left, he could have reversed the momentum.

In utter despair, Norman dropped to the ground, painfully aware that yet another Masters victory had slipped through his fingers.

“As hard as it is to watch, it reflects the reality of golf,” Norman admitted in a 2022 documentary focusing on that day’s events. “Every golfer has faced it at some stage.”

“I remember thinking to myself as I hit the ground, ‘oh my god, these golf gods.’”

“I got back up, but after that, it was not meant to be. If it was meant to be, that shot would have dropped. It was evident the golfing gods were saying, ‘not today’.”

AND FALDO SAW IT COMING

Faldo went on to clinch a five-shot victory—his third Masters title—completing an astonishing 11-shot swing in just 18 holes.

The Englishman later remarked that he noticed signs of Norman’s nervousness right from the second tee that Sunday.

“He was re-gripping his club numerous times at the second tee,” Faldo recounted in a Sky Sports UK interview. “That was very different from the previous day; I hadn’t seen him do that before.”

“Later, I found out he was working on a new grip, and whilst that can be fine, on a Sunday, it became a weakness.”

The sporting world was left astonished by the extraordinary turn of events. Renowned commentator Jimmy Roberts reflected, “What was meant to be a coronation turned into a funeral procession.”

Norman would ultimately retire from his professional career without ever donning the coveted green jacket.

In 2013, the curse of the Masters for Australia was finally broken by Adam Scott, who used his broomstick putter to secure a memorable victory.

SIMMERING FEUD REIGNITED

As previously mentioned, Norman and Faldo are polar opposites both on and off the course.

“We had no real connection whatsoever. We were like chalk and cheese. He preferred solitude; that wasn’t me,” Norman shared in a recent interview with The Telegraph.

Faldo is among the distinguished few golfers who have received knighthood. In contrast, Norman has recently found himself in the spotlight for his contentious involvement with LIV Golf, which has been accused of creating divisions in the sport.

In recent years, Faldo has not held back in criticising LIV Golf, condemning Norman for financially backing players past their prime, whom he claims have turned soft due to LIV’s compressed format.

After that fateful Masters loss in 1996, Norman was lauded for the grace with which he handled the aftermath of his disappointment. He exited the scorer’s room with a smile and even engaged jovially with the media as he spoke about the shocking turn of events.

While Norman and Faldo embraced after the 18th hole, the Australian admitted their interactions rarely extended beyond that.

“That moment offered me a brief insight into Faldo’s other side,” Norman recounted to Telegraph Sport.

“There’s something inherently different about Nick. There is a public version of him. He’s the one who came over to me, hugged me and said, ‘don’t let the critics get to you.’

“But that didn’t mean much because I knew he would revert back to his usual self.”

“Nick has made some disparaging comments about me during my time at LIV—really unpleasant remarks. I lack respect for anyone who expresses opinions like that without understanding both aspects. Given our history, he could have just reached out for my side of the story, and I would have been more than happy to provide it. If he still disagreed afterwards, that’s fair enough; he’d have that right. But simply to criticise? No respect for that.”

This week, Faldo waved off journalists when approached for comments at Augusta National, where he was able to join the champions’ dinner—an event from which Norman was barred.

“I’m not getting into that,” Faldo replied.

The odds of the two crossing paths this week seem slim, as Norman has once again been excluded from receiving an invitation to the Masters, just as he was in 2023 and 2024, amid the ongoing tensions between golf’s traditionalists and LIV.