He thinks golf today is in rude health, thanks to its spread through Asia, and that the opportunity must be seized in Rio next year when it returns to the Olympic stable after a break of 112 years.
"Number one I am so glad golf is back in. It should be in there. It’s a global sport played by 50-plus million golfers around the world. It needs to be in there,” he says. “It’s incumbent now on all of us - the players and the institutions - to make it work. If we fail on this one we may get to keep golf in the Olympics. It’s very expensive for the IOC. So shame on us if we fail. If we fail with this one it might be another 100-pus years before we get back in again.”
During a playing career that features those two majors at The Open in 1986 and 1993, highlights of a record that shows 90 titles in total, Norman was always pushing the idea of a tour that might spread its reach as far and wide as possible.
So recent news of the link-up between the Asian and European Tours - details of which are still being fine-tuned - has been welcomed by Norman.
"It’s no secret that I always wanted to have a world tour,” he says. “Quite honestly the European Tour have done a much better job than the US PGA Tour because they have gone to Australasia, the have gone to Asia, they have gone to South Africa, they have gone all through Europe. So at the end of the day there’s not a world tour but there almost is. Kudos to them.”
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