Norman rolling back the years

4:12pm Friday 18th July 2008

Twenty two years after first lifting the Claret Jug, Greg Norman today set a testing clubhouse target in the second round of the 137th Open Championship.

Norman wanted to keep his expectations "realistically low" after an opening 70, but those hopes were dashed after another 70 gave the 53-year-old a halfway total of 140, level par, and a one-shot lead over Colombia's Camilo Villegas.

Villegas birdied the last five holes to card a superb 65, by four shots the best of the week so far, including a three on the 18th after his approach rattled the pin.

Overnight joint leaders Graeme McDowell and Rocco Mediate carded matching rounds of 73 to lie a shot further back on two over, alongside former US Open champion Jim Furyk, who had a second consecutive 71.

Norman, Open winner at Turnberry in 1986 and Sandwich in 1993, is strictly a part-time golfer these days but credits marrying former Wimbledon champion Chris Evert at the end of last month for "revitalising" his life.

The Australian rolled in a long birdie putt on the first and parred the next four holes before falling victim to the treacherous sixth hole, a par four measuring 499 yards playing straight into the wind and unsurprisingly ranked the toughest on the course.

The former world number one found heavy rough with his first two shots and was still 60 yards short of the flag in three on his way to a double-bogey, but then birdied the next two holes from 25 and 20ft respectively to get back to one under.

Another run of pars was broken by a bogey on the 17th, and he was in danger of dropping another shot at the last before holing from 20ft for par to a huge roar from the crowd.

Editor's choice