Greg Norman Thinks Chris Evert Is Good for His Golf Game; Ex-Wife, Not So Much

Loren Roberts won the Senior British Open earlier this week, outlasting Greg Norman who, a year ago, finished fifth in the event a week after an improbable third-place showing at the Young Peoples British Open.

This time around, Norman, the 54-hole leader, carded a Sunday 71 (1-over), good for sixth. Perhaps not the final 18 holes of golf he was looking for, but not bad given that he spends more time on his various off-course business ventures than he does preparing for tournaments.

And as long as we're making excuses, here's one for why he didn't win more during his prime: his ex-wife. That's sorta the one he used in a recent television interview. At least according to The Australian:

He was asked this: "Had Chrissie been in your life 20 years ago would you have won some of those that got away?"

Norman replied: "Chrissie would have instilled a different thought process and I would have said the answer would probably be 'yes'."

Not surprisingly, this drew moans from the online gallery. And, yeah, I get that. The totality of Norman's career is impressive, but there are also plenty of train-wreck-tastic moments.

I'm not willing to blame his ex-wife for those tournaments "that got away," but I also didn't live with the woman. I have no idea what she's capable of. Not only that, but when you fork over $103 million, I think you can say whatever you want without recrimination. If Norman wants to blame Wife No. 1 for his final-round 78 at the '96 Masters, $103 gets him that.

In all seriousness, Norman didn't say, "My ex-wife clearly wanted me to lose, and the fact that I ever won is a testament to my awesomeness." He just responded to the question, and complimented his current wife in the process.

Hey, maybe he learned something from the first go-round. And given the success Norman has had on the course since he and Chris Evert got hitched, maybe he's right.