Greg Norman's senior tour debut ended conspicuously like many of his big events in the prime of his career: He finished one stroke out of a playoff at last week's Senior British Open.
Win or lose, the Shark always has fans circling around him in golf's most dangerous waters. How much does the Champions Tour need him? Well, he'd easily eclipse Tom Watson, Craig Stadler or Hale Irwin as its most popular player if he was to compete more often.
But will that ever happen? Our experts debate in Fact or Fiction.
• Greg Norman will someday be a full-time member of the Champions Tour.
Bob Harig, contributor, ESPN.com: FICTION. Like many superstar golfers, the rank-and-file Champions Tour events do not hold the appeal for a player who yearns to compete against the best and can no longer do so. Norman, like Jack Nicklaus, will play the senior majors and a smattering of other events, but no more.
Ron Sirak, executive editor, Golf World magazine: FICTION. He'll pop up at the majors, but he is too successful as a businessman to be a full-time player any longer.
Jason Sobel, golf editor, ESPN.com: FICTION. Even if the injuries subside, his lack of desire to play more competitive golf will not. The Shark has been there, done that and has nothing left to prove on the senior circuit. In fact, a few more tournaments of finishing one shot out of a playoff -- as Norman did at the Senior British Open -- could be motivation for him to play even less. There are already enough stories about Norman's distaste for coming in second; he doesn't need to create any more.
Brian Wacker, assistant editor, GolfDigest.com: FICTION. Norman might have discovered new life thanks to a recent back surgery which has him feeling a few years younger, but the Shark has too much money and -- maybe more importantly -- too many other business interests that occupy his time. The competitive juices will never leave a guy like Norman, but now he uses those ambitions in a different arena.
• Pick to win -- U.S. Senior Open.
Sobel: LOREN ROBERTS. The Boss of the Moss has been a pretty fair U.S. Open player for much of his career, including a sudden-death playoff loss to Ernie Els in '94. Any time par is a good score -- as it could be this week -- the steady Roberts is dangerous. Besides, any pro golfer who lists golf as his main hobby has the desire it takes to win the big one.
Sirak: CRAIG STADLER. The Walrus is enjoying banking those checks on the Mulligan Tour.
Wacker: HALE IRWIN. He's battled a cranky back for most of the year, but unlike most of his contemporaries Irwin skipped last week's Senior British Open to prepare for this week's U.S. Senior Open. That'll payoff and -- like Tom Watson and the British Open -- Irwin has the same sort of affinity for the U.S. Open, having won five of them, including two on the Champions Tour.
Harig: DANA QUIGLEY. After taking a week off for the first time in nine years, this will seem like a breeze.
• Michelle Wie will win an LPGA event by this time in '06.
Wacker: FICTION. Wie has certainly come close, and in major championships no less. Still, she needs to learn how to close out a tournament and win -- something she hasn't been able to do when the opportunity is there. Right now though that seems like the only thing we can question about her because we certainly can't question her talent.
Sirak: FACT. And when she gets that first victory, it will be as a professional. She will bring the same skils to the LPGA that Tiger Woods brought to the PGA Tour.
Harig: FICTION. As impressive as Wie has been, she has not yet shown the ability to close the deal. She is either fighting to make a cut or posting a high finish when not in contention to win. She needs to put herself there more often before she gets a victory.
Sobel: FACT. She finished in second place at the LPGA Championship, was the third-round co-leader at the U.S. Women's Open and grabbed another runner-up at last week's ultra-competitive Evian Masters. We may not have to wait until 2006. In fact ...
• Pick to win -- Women's British Open.
Sobel: MICHELLE WIE. Sure, it sounds strange to say a 15-year-old is "due" to win a big event, but Wie is and no one should be surprised to see her name atop the leaderboard Sunday. Besides, it'll give her something interesting to write about for that "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" back-to-school essay in a few weeks.
Sirak: PAULA CREAMER. She will continue the best rookie year by an LPGA player since Nancy Lopez.
Wacker: GLORIA PARK. Just when the LPGA has a chance to grab some major headlines, it sinks back into relative obscurity. Take nothing away from Park -- she has eight top 10s this year and that's part of the reason I like her chances -- but a win by Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie or Paula Creamer would do a lot more for the LPGA.
Harig: ANNIKA SORENSTAM. After a few substandard weeks, Sorenstam gets back on track and wins her third major of the year.
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