There are definitely some inconsistencies in that story that a cynic could point out and claim that the story is clearly fiction and that in real life....we do not live, "Happily Ever After."
Watching The British Open on Sunday, I was slapped in the face by this reality. I sat on my couch throughout the weekend watching a 53 year old man attempt to turn back the clock (ie not allow it to hit midnight). He was competing as he did 20 years ago against the game's best and not only holding his own but out-dancing everyone at The Ball with his new wife at his side as others looked on in amazement. I felt a bit peepish-tomish as I watched. It was a definitely a sight to behold. It felt a little like in the movies when the crowd clears out, becomes fuzzy, and the only people on the dance floor is the lovely couple. On Sunday, sitting there on my couch, I was definitely rooting for "happily ever after."
But.......
The same thing that is going to happen to Greg Norman. He will forever remember this weekend just like she will forever remember that night....and the dancing (great golf shots), the dress (golf attire), the carriage ride (limo ride to the course), the joy, (54 holes of being the man), and THUS the journey itself will ALLOW them BOTH to live..........
I wish I could tell you that Greg Norman drove it straight and long. (that's what she......nevermind). I wish I could tell you that he made pars and birdies. I wish I could tell you that at the end he was holding up The Claret Jug and slipping his size 2 foot in the glass slipper; however, like Red says on Shawshank Redemption....."Life is no fairy tale."
Norman bogeyed the first 3 holes. He lipped out short putts. He struggled off the tee and with the pressure. In essence, he did turn back the clock because Sunday was reminiscent of many Sundays before. In his prime, Greg Norman struggled in the spotlight and now 20 years later, nothing has changed. He finished with a 77, 6 strokes off the lead. Viewers were reminded of his 78 in 1996 at The Masters where he last suffered a similar loss to Nick Faldo.
So what's the lesson? Should we all become hardened cynics that realize that "happily ever after" is only a myth perpetrated by those who live in a fantasy world?
The cynic would say:
"Show me the heart unfettered by foolish dreams and I'll show you a happy man."
Is that how we should live our lives? Should we be realists who only try to achieve what we know is in our realm of possibility?
Or should "our purpose" be as Alfred Lord Tennyson suggests:
"To sail beyond the sunset; to follow knowledge, like a falling star, beyond the utmost bounds of human thought."
Greg Norman chose the latter. True, he failed. True, he was embarrassed. True, he didn't get his fairy tale ending. However, for one weekend (for one night), he was the King of the Ball. He danced in the middle of the parquet floors with his loved one. He was the focus while others turned fuzzy. He wore the glass slipper and he loved every minute of it.
So.....what would've happened to Cinderella if she didn't have abnormally small feet?
The same thing that is going to happen to Greg Norman. He will forever remember this weekend just like she will forever remember that night....and the dancing (great golf shots), the dress (golf attire), the carriage ride (limo ride to the course), the joy, (54 holes of being the man), and THUS the journey itself will ALLOW them BOTH to live..........
Happily Ever After.
5 comments:
"Happily ever after" is a function of hard work and learning from mistakes. Norman has failed to learn from his past and, as the saying goes, he was doomed to repeat it. If he were willing to change some aspects of his golf game the way he was recently willing to change wife, he may have won. I'm not a swing expert, but I would like to have seen his swing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday compared to his swing on Sunday. It appeared to be shorter and quicker - just like what happened in earlier Maters disasters. He, like in days past, failed to distinguish well between when to hit the driver and when to play it safe. His stubborness, not his age, is what lead to his demise.
I agree, Dro. With Tiger out, Norman managed to make the tournament compelling.
Not sure that I'd call it choking, as some have - simply because he doesn't win the whole dang tournament and become the oldest Masters winner in history by 5 years. The dude doesn't even play anymore. The fact that he was in the tournament at all is amazing.
A has-been billionaire takes the weekend off to play golf against the world's best and almost wins.
That's not a choke.
Dro, I was trying to find the statistic, but I think Norman has now won like one major out of somewhere between eight and ten he has lead after 54 holes. That's brutal. He's the anti-Tiger, considering Tiger is 14 for 14 when holding a 54 hole lead. It also points to how amazing Tiger's closing ability is. I was sad to see Norman lose, but I was also happy for Padraig. You have to love a guy who smiles at good and bad shots and plays like he absolutely loves the game.
Jon, you sure know how to get a girl to read a sports post :) Add a Cinderella story in there and a pair of shoes and it will work every time!!
drizzy. just got caught up on the blog. sunday was a bit of a let down. don't get me wrong, i love that little irish guy and his leprochan voice as much as the next guy, but i was rooting for the shark. if you are like me, you didn't lose hope until paddy eagled the par 5 17th. till that point, even though norman was down 3 strokes with 3 to go, i beleived paddy might blow up and norman still could hit a 5 iron off the cart path to 5 feet and end up beating paddy on the last hole. not to be though. that kind of misfortune only happens to chaddyshack, then he breaks all his clubs and makes his friends give him their old sets.
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