Moe Norman
| Moe Norman | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Murray Irwin Norman |
| Nickname | Moe |
| Born | July 10, 1929 Kitchener, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | September 4, 2004 (aged 75) Kitchener, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1957 |
| Former tour(s) | Canadian Tour |
| Professional wins | 55 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
|
| Masters Tournament | CUT: 1957 |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Canadian Golf Hall of Fame | 1995 |
| Canada's Sports Hall of Fame | 2006 |
Murray Irwin "Moe" Norman (July 10, 1929 – September 4, 2004) was a Canadian professional golfer. He was widely considered the best ball striker who ever lived among the best players in the world. His accuracy, his ability to hit shot after shot perfectly straight, gave him the nickname "pipeline moe".
Contents |
[edit] Career highlights
- Canadian Amateur Championship winner (1955, 1956);
- 55 career Canadian Tour and other Canadian event victories;
- Canadian PGA Championship winner (1966, 1974);
- Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship winner (1979–1985, 1987);
- 33 course records;
- 17 holes-in-one;
- Several exhibition rounds under 60 (perfect round);
- Inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1995;
- Inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2006;
- Two appearances by invitation as an amateur in the Masters Tournament: 1956 scored 75-78 then withdrew; 1957 scored 77-74 to miss the cut by one stroke.
[edit] Biography
Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Norman developed his golf from childhood at the Rockway municipal course in that city, starting as a caddy in his pre-teen years. He refined his skills competing against talented area players such as Gary Cowan and Gerry Kesselring. He won back-to-back Canadian Amateur Championships in 1955 and 1956. He turned professional in 1957 and played briefly in the PGA Tour, but due to shyness, bullying he encountered from certain pros, and a preference to stay in Canada, he stayed primarily in Ontario rather than travel extensively outside Canada.
Norman's play, along with his way of dressing, were both described as unconventional. He devised what is known as "The Norman Swing" —- rigid arms extended far from his body, a very wide stance with minimal knee bend, shorter-than-usual backswing and extended follow-through with minimal hand action, which produced amazingly accurate ball placement. He played extremely fast, sometimes not even slowing to line up his putts. He was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1995. He was self-taught, and never took a golf lesson.
Norman was known for sometimes unconventional behavior on the course, even during tournaments. It is even said that on one hole his caddy told him he could get to the green with a driver and a 9-iron. Naturally, he hit off the tee with his 9-iron and then hit the green with his driver. In another event, rather than lay up short of a creek hazard which could not be carried, he bounced his drive across the bridge which crossed the creek.
Norman's skills as a ball striker are legendary. Sam Snead, himself one of the all-time greatest golfers, once described Norman as the greatest striker of the ball. In January 2005, Tiger Woods, the biggest golf star of the modern era, told Golf Digest's Jaime Diaz that only two golfers in history have "owned their swings": Moe Norman and Ben Hogan. Stated Woods, "I want to own mine." Late in his life, Norman found better financial security when Titleist, a major golf manufacturer, signed him to a lifetime contract to perform golf exhibitions across Canada after he allegedly told a reporter, "Titleist never did nothing for me".
Norman died in a Kitchener hospital from congestive heart failure. He had suffered from congestive heart failure since having heart bypass surgery six years earlier. He also had a heart attack two years before his death.
[edit] Books and film about Moe Norman
Moe Norman's golf achievements and eccentric personality inspired many articles and two biographic books: The Feeling of Greatness – The Moe Norman Story, by Tim O'Connor (ISBN 1-57028-086-X) and Moe Norman: The Canadian Golfing Legend with the Perfect Swing, by Stan Sauerwein (ISBN 978-1-55153-953-9).
A film about his life is in preparation; Wayne Gretzky is one of the investors.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ SCORE golf magazine, April 2011
