Can Scott or Day Emulate Greg Norman?

Australian golf is going through something of a purple patch at present, with both Adam Scott and Jason Day winning Majors in recent years. Both have also topped the rankings, with Day finding himself in top spot a couple of weeks ago until Jordan Spieth reclaimed it.

However, both Scott and Day have a long way to go until they can consider themselves to be on the same level as Greg Norman, the golfer who the vast majority would agree is the greatest Australian golfer of all time.

Although Norman only won two Majors in his careers, he dominated the world rankings from the mid 19080’s to late 1990’s, earning a reputation as one of the greatest golfers of all time. Norman came close to winning all four Majors in 1986, as he led all four tournaments going into the final round. However, he could only convert one of these into a victory, The Open Championship.

Norman, also known as The Great White Shark, won his second Major in 1993, again winning The Open. While he didn’t win as many Majors as he might have liked, few can argue that Norman was one of the outstanding players of generation. He spent a combined total of 331 weeks at number one and recorded 90 win as a professional.

Adam Scott won his first and only Major in 2013, when he won The Masters. He is a consistent performer at Majors, having ranked in the top five of all four tournaments in his career. He has 27 professional wins to his name and has also spent eleven weeks at number one. Day, who at 27 is eight years younger than Scott, also has one Major win to his name, this year’s PGA Championship. He has won significantly fewer tournaments, with twelve to his name to date, and has also spent less time at the top of the rankings.

While both Scott and Day are among the best players of their generation, they both have a long way to go if they are to surpass Greg Norman as the nation’s best golfer. While neither are likely to pass Norman’s record of weeks at number one or tournament wins, both Day and Scott will be hopeful they can add further Majors to their hauls. If they do so, then Australia will boast three of the most successful golfers of all time.