Newly married life is agreeing with Greg Norman as he prepares for his first major golf championship in three years.
Less than three weeks after his wedding in the Bahamas to tennis great Chris Evert, Norman was relaxed and happy during a practice round for the British Open starting on Friday at Royal Birkdale.
His second wife will be in his gallery on Friday when he tees off in a major for the first time since the 2005 British Open at St Andrews, where he tied for 60th.
"She's going to get a taste of what green grass is like on the golf course rather than at Wimbledon," said 53-year-old Norman, laughing.
"I'm just very, very happy right now."
Evert, also 53, may be new on the golf scene but she knows a thing or two about winning the biggest tournaments, with 18 grand slam singles titles to her name, including three at Wimbledon.
While a shortage of time on the golf course means Norman's expectations are "pretty low" regarding his performance at Royal Birkdale, the two-time Open champion is determined to enjoy himself.
"I think it's probably the best British Open course I've ever seen to tell you the truth," Norman said of the links venue in England's north east where he tied 19th in 1983 and was equal ninth when Ian Baker-Finch won in 1991.
"I think it's probably very, very fair and extremely balanced and I just think it's the best I've ever seen . . . and I've played quite a few of them." Norman, the last Australian to win the Open - at Royal St George's in 1993 - is among 18 Australians in the 156-man field.
And, while few expect him to contend (at 400-1 odds), his progress will be followed by a legion of fans after a career that yielded more than 80 professional titles and a total of 331 weeks as the world No.1 between 1986 and 1998.
