The Shark plays 2nd fiddle...again

As a pretty big golf fan, it was nice to see host Greg Norman play well at the annual Merrill Lynch Shark Shootout this weekend. Haven't seen him in a while. He still has that familiar quick and upright move through the ball, although a little less recoil on the follow through these days. The Shark and partner Bubba Watson finished a very respectable 2nd today, after watching the always animated Woody Austin jar a 30-footer on 18 to seal the deal.

Chalk up another 2nd place finish for Sharky. Add it to a long list that includes runner-ups in all four majors, including a few playoff heartbreakers at The Masters and the Open.

Ironically, the announcers foreshadowed the vic for Austin and partner Mark Calcavecchia as Woody lined up his putt by mentioning Norman's playoff loss to Calcs in the '89 Open, Sandy Lyle's hole-out from the bunker at the '88 Masters, among a variety of his 31 career silver medal finishes. Can't really feel too bad for the guy, though. After all, he is Greg Norman: winner of two Opens, 20 Tour events, and is one of the most recognizable athlete-turned-businessmen in the world.

He still has the same intensity he always had: "Of course I'm disappointed," Norman said. "We all play to win the championship, no matter what the championship is." A sign of things to come on the Champions Tour in '08?