Great week for Slammers and Sharks
Golfweek, October 22, the Forecaddie

The PGA Tour policy board voted to retroactively award an official victory to winners of the British Open prior to 1995 (the Forecaddie’s take: Boys, what took you so long?), which, of course, makes for some interesting new numbers in the all-time victory totals of many of the game’s most storied champions.

The Tour’s top four all-time winners increased their victory totals overnight, even though two – all-time leader Sam Snead (81 to 82) and Ben Hogan (63 to 64) – are now members at Pearly Gates CC. Jack Nicklaus (70 to 73) just became a little tougher for Tiger Woods to catch, and Arnold Palmer, who won two British Open titles, now has 62 official victories. (The Man Out Front loves the fact that Old Tom Morris now is an official winner of four PGA Tour titles, which ought to improve his Tour pension plan.)

Most interesting of all, though, is the elevation of Greg Norman, the ’86 and ’93 Open champion, from 18 to 20 Tour victories, which, of course, qualifies the Shark, a Tour nonmember after playing less than his minimum 12 Tour events in 2001, to swim forever as a Life Member of the PGA Tour. So, were there corks popping down there at Norman headquarters in Hobe Sound?

Well, not exactly.

Shark insiders tell the Forecaddie he has yet to decide whether he’ll rejoin the Tour in 2003 (he already was exempt by his victory at the ’97 NEC World Series). Norman may simply continue to pick and choose a limited number of U.S. events as a nonmember, all the while not needing releases signed by commish Tim Finchem to play elsewhere around the globe.

Besides, applying to be a Tour member carries a nominal administration fee of $100 – and a poor minnow like Norman probably could use the money.