Times are good in the land Down Under, where it’s a great time to be a pro golfer and an Australian.
Peter Lonard of Sydney won at Hilton Head on April 17 and then Adam Scott of Adelaide won the Johnnie Walker in Beijing last weekend.
That’s not all. Stuart Appleby won at Kapalua and Geoff Ogilvy won at Tucson earlier this year. Throw another shrimp on the Barbie and ring Crocodile Dundee right away.
Add the four Australians’ PGA Tour victories and they’ve got 12–six by Appleby, four by Scott–but that’s still a long way from the former No. 1 headliner from Australia, Greg Norman from Mt. Isa, Queensland, who won 20 times on the PGA Tour, including the British Open in 1986 and 1993.
Norman remains golf’s Australian icon, even though at 50 he rarely plays anymore.
Scott, 24, said all that’s missing in Australian golf is a hero. He wouldn’t mind being the one.
“I believe that’s what is missing, honestly,” Scott said. “Greg Norman is playing a lot less now, and he’s not No. 1 in the world like he was for so many years. I think if we did have a hero that would be fantastic.
“Can I be Greg Norman? I honestly feel I can follow Greg’s footsteps as far as his achievements. I feel that’s kind of a goal of mine. Greg has a charisma about him and an aura that he carries, and I don’t know whether that comes with success or you’ve just got it. I don’t know if I’ve got that. Only time will tell.”
