Years After Suffering a Humiliating Loss at the ‘96 Masters, Greg Norman Once Revealed the Real Reason Which Resulted in His Downfall

The 1996 Masters Tournament will forever be etched in the memories of golf fans. The event at the Augusta was supposed to be the coronation of Greg Norman on his inaugural victory at the famed tournament. Alas, fate had something else written in store as the mighty Aussie went from leading the event with a six-stroke lead to ultimately losing out to Sir Nick Faldo. Norman kept the curtains on why he suffered such a humiliating downfall for years. But in 2013, years after retiring, Norman revealed that a bad back was the cause of his embarrassment.

Norman claims back issues hampered his chance of winning ‘96 Masters

Speaking about what transpired heading into the final round, Norman revealed he didn’t wake up feeling all right on Sunday. “There’s more to it than people realize because I did have back issues that morning,” he said.

“I tried to walk it off but I couldn’t. I told my coach, ‘Today’s not going to be easy.’”

Read more: Despite Greg Norman’s Scathing Attack, Golf’s Most Thrilling Rivalry Took an Unexpected Turn With Nick Faldo’s Cryptic Response in 2017

Norman was right. Resuming the play with a comfortable six-shot lead, things began to look awful right from the start. He barely maintained his lead, down to four, after the first seven holes. But the two-time major championship winner lost five shots to par over the next five holes.

Faldo was soon picking up pace. He capitalized on Norman’s mistake and reduced the difference with each passing hole. The 12th hole marked a change in positions as the Aussie double-bogeyed after his ball landed in the water.

Faldo opened up a two-stroke lead and continued to play well, while Norman landed another one in the water bodies at the 16th to lose sight of any comeback. The latter eventually recorded a 78 to finish the day, while Faldo’s impressive 67 handed him his third Green Jacket.

How did Greg Norman respond to the embarrassing loss?

After the astonishing collapse, a downcast Norman went down to the beach to find solace. “I disappeared down to the beach… and lay on the beach and cried, because I felt like I’d completely screwed up winning a tournament that I wanted to win,” he said years after the incident.

“That would be about the only time I would have brought the emotion of a golf tournament back home,” he further added.

Norman’s downfall, alongside Faldo’s comeback, made the 1996 Masters a tournament worth remembering. It stands as the greatest comeback/collapse in Masters history, a record which stands to date.

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