Thursday, September 2, 2010

Everyone in golf knows Greg Norman, but come Sunday evening many of Europe’s best could be having nightmares about the Great White Shark.

That’s because the man who created Earth insists his claim that the last four holes are ‘the toughest mile in golf’ is not just a PR stunt.

The Aussie ace feels ‘The Green Mile’ will provide a spectacular sprint finish to the Race to Dubai with no one assured of victory until those four fearsome challenges have been conquered.

“When we heard the tournament was going to come here I made a conscious effort to make the last four holes one mile,” said Norman, in Dubai to look at his masterpiece before the pros try to take it apart.

“I like to think we have the hardest four holes or toughest mile in golf.

“The wind changes direction from the morning because it’s cool and it switches around at about one or two o’clock.

“So players can be left out there in a pretty vulnerable position.”

Having last won a Major back in 1993, Norman’s heyday on the fairways may well be past him, but his showing at the Open last year, where he was leading on the last day, shows his golfing brain is as switched on as ever.  And he says the way the Earth course is set up means the winner will have to shoot low to get his hands on the Dubai World Championship (DWC) trophy.

Norman added: “Remember this golf course was built as a residential community golf course, it wasn’t designed specifically for tournament play.

“Everybody has to keep that in perspective.

“The fairway corridors are very wide here, the bunkers are located in the right location but remember these guys don’t hit the ball 280 yards they hit it 320. “And if the European Tour decide to get the greens a little bit quicker and a little bit firmer the scores will come down dramatically.

“I see an 18-under, 19-under number winning this tournament on Sunday.”

Like all perfectionists Aussie legend Norman is a hard man to please and even he has one gripe about the course set-up this week; the lack of rough which will simply play into the hands of the big hitters like Spain’s Alvaro Quiros.

“I questioned the thickness of the rough which seems fairly benign. We wanted the rough to be up around two inches and obviously for these players when there’s not much rough the fairways are wider so it makes it easier for them,” he added.

In-form Rory McIlroy is favourite to land both the DWC and the inaugural Race to Dubai titles. And Norman feels the 20-year-old is a breath of fresh air, and would make a worthy winner on Earth.

“What Rory has been doing over the last 12 months has been phenomenal to say the least,” he said. “He looks like he’s experienced way beyond his years, and his future, you can almost say, is set in stone.”