If Greg Norman can have just one more good round, he will placate, at least a tiny, little bit, the forlorn, no-Tiger-Woods-having executives at ABC where the British Open airs this Saturday and Sunday.  Oh sure, working against it ratings-wise is that the final round coverage on Sunday starts like at 2am eastern time.

After one round Greg Norman is tied for fourth, just one stroke out of the lead for “The Open”. One stroke.  Greg Norman.  The guy is like one hundred and fifty-three years old.  OK, so he’s only 53.  But if there were a Hall of Fame for Epic Bad Luck, Greg Norman would have a whole wing.  I know you make your own luck, but here’s a little bit from Wikipedia on the subject:

Norman will be forever regarded as an underachiever (given his talents), a characterization fueled by his myriad near-misses in The Masters, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. He was equally a victim of his own bad luck and good luck on the part of his fellow golfers in major championships. He infamously lost a near-certain PGA Championship in 1986 after Bob Tway holed a greenside bunker shot (though Norman himself shot a 76 that day), and lost The Masters the following year in a playoff on an even more miraculous 45-yard chip shot by Larry Mize on the second play-off hole

One stroke out of the lead.  Greg Norman!  If he’s in the lead going into the final round I’d have to wake up at 5am and watch that.  That’s great drama either way. Actually, not so much.  The only major tournament Norman has ever won is the British Open.  He’s won it twice — 1993 at Royal St. Georgie’s Golf Club and 1986 at Turnberry.  This year it’s at the Royal Birkdale.

Oh sure, I think the chances of Greg Norman being within 5 strokes by Saturday morning are zero, but it would make such a great story if he can hang in there.  First Norman reportedly steals Chris Evert away from his best friend.  Then on June 28, 2008 Norman married Evert.  No matter how it plays out this weekend, Mr. Norman is having himself a good year.