Greg Norman and his aggressive playing style and fearless approach to the game earned him the nickname ‘The Shark,’ a moniker that has stuck with him to this day. However, the Kiwi was not a big fan of the name initially.
Despite facing setbacks and injuries throughout his career, Norman remained a fierce competitor and continued to push the boundaries of the sport.
The Great white shark was in love with the sea. Whenever the conditions used to be right, he went to the beach to enjoy the water. But, once this obsession with the water took a scary turn.
While spear head fishing, Norman targeted a coral trout, and the spearhead went through the fish and got stuck in a coral head. “I shot a large coral trout only to have the spear go through the fish and embed itself deep into a coral head,” he said.
However, when he was trying to get the spear free, he saw a shark swim towards him. “As I was tugging on the spear, I glanced to my left and saw a seven-foot shark moving rapidly in my direction.”
The 2-time major champion wasn’t a fan of his namesake back then as they often stole his catch by chasing him away. “I didn’t like sharks back then.”
But, what was important is that he always made the right choice to leave his catch and safely swim back to the surface. Moreover, he didn’t lose hope still and after the shark went, he went back in the water and continued fishing.
Norman had a great boating teacher
The 68-year-old was fortunate to have a skilled boating teacher – his father. He stepped up to the challenge of helping Greg and his sister build a small boat, using their home’s dirt floor as a construction site.
Over the course of several months, they worked together on the project, delving deep into the engineering of the boat and meticulously crafting its ribs, planks, and varnishing. Moreover, because of their hard work, they joined the Townsville Sailing Club and learned all about boating on the water, from navigating to racing.
They even won several competitions with Norman as the skipper and his sister as the crew. Little did they know that many years later, Greg would build a boat that would be recognized as the highest technical achievement in a motor yacht by Showboats magazine. It was a testament to his father’s exceptional teaching abilities.
Source: Essentially Sports
