Masters and Heroes

BTW, this is written badly because I'm watching the masters while I write this, on a netbook which is perched on a Djembe.

Along with Oleg Zandersson, the allergy-prone Icelandic Ping Pong phenom who put Iceland on the map sporting wise, Greg Norman has been one of my sporting heroes for many years. Anyway, Greg Norman is no longer one of my sporting heroes after he decided to leave his wife of over 20 years in order to run of with somebody else's wife (Chris Evert). I've been following the Masters coverage online and I'm amazed at the comments people are leaving about Norman's first round and the fact that his new wife was his caddie for the traditional par 3 competition.

Comments like:

"I've loved Chrissie Evert for years, because of her marriage to Greg, I've (sic) have started to take an interest in Golf. I thought they were both fantastic yesterday, they seem to love life and each other."

Or:

"I followed tennis for years before discovering golf. It is a pleasant site (sic) to see two class acts (representative of both sports) together. I hope the union last (sic) forever - they seem so happy."

Blargh.

And there are many more like it. Now Greg Norman is a great golfer - no doubt. I've read quotes from great amateur golfers like Bill Murray and Alice Cooper who've said they've never seen anybody hit a golf ball as well as Norman when they've played with him at pro-ams. Greg Norman was the number one player in the world for a very long time (the longest time ever until Tiger came along). He has won something like 60 tournaments world wide and in 2001 he played a skins game with Tiger, Colin Montgomerie and a bunch of other golfing freaks and he walked away with all of the prize pool - all of it. It was a classic, he literally flew off in his helicopter with a million dollar cheque in his pocket, leaving some of the world's greatest ever players wondering why they bothered to get up that morning.

But I just can't get past what he's done off the course, and because Norman is back at the Masters with Larry Mize, it's made me realise that our sporting heroes should be our heroes for more than just how they play. You see, Larry Mize is the guy who 'stole' the Masters from Norman by having the audacity to chip in to win in a play-off.

Larry Mize grew up in Augusta GA, the home of the Masters, and he dreamed, like every kid in Augusta, of one day winning the great tournament. And in 1987 he did. Larry won it fair and square, straight up and down, he chipped in from off the green on the 11th hole during a play-off. But ever since, his victory has been overshadowed by the accepted wisdom that it was Norman who should have slipped on the green jacket that day. Somehow, because Norman's victory in 1987 was fait accompli, it was just wrong that Larry Mize came along and chipped in. Somehow, his chip in was a fluke (as if every good shot or putt in golf isn't?) Somehow, because Larry was a nobody or a 'journeyman' on the PGA tour, he didn't deserve to win that way against a high profile player like Norman. It's true that Larry wasn't exactly well-known when he won, he's a reserved Southerner who just loves playing golf. I've heard that he even received hate mail after he won the Masters in 1987 and for over 20 years, Larry has graciously answered probing questions about that shot, rather than questions related to his great sporting achievement.

Larry Mize is a Christian. He's been married to the same woman since college and has three sons. Larry is known for his humility and graciousness among other tour players. He talks about being a Christian to almost anybody, he has even run Bible studies with Berhard Langer who is another Christian on tour. Larry Mize once said in a media interview, that he knows he can't earn his way to heaven, which is why he has faith in Jesus Christ.

Larry has officially replaced Norman as one of my all-time sporting heroes.

BTW Larry was on the top of the Leaderboard for the first round of of the Masters this year and Norman was 3 shots behind, but guess who got all the media?

Yeah - Tiger Woods.

Idea for best end at this year's Masters: Mize and Norman are in another playoff and Mize wins by getting a hole in one on a par 4 and then a Russian spy satellite makes an unscheduled re-entry over Augusta and lands on Norman's nads.

Could happen, It'd make a great framed poster and I imagine would look something like this: