On The Sidelines : Norman Hurts, Won’t Quit Golf

Greg Norman suffers pain during every tournament because of an incurable wrist injury but he has no intention of giving up golf, his agent said today.

The world’s top-ranked player tore ligaments and cartilage in his left wrist several years ago playing Australian Rules Football and aggravated it during the 1988 U.S. Open at Brookline, Mass., when he hit a rock with his club. He had to take a two-month break to recuperate.

“He’s had consistent pain since June of 1988,” Hughes Norton, senior vice president of International Management Group, told Reuters.

“Some days are worse than others, and on some shots it’s worse than others,” Norton said. “Sometimes you see him kind of grab his wrist after a shot.”

However, Norton denied a British newspaper report that said Norman’s career is in doubt. “Nothing could be farther from the truth,” Norton said.

“In effect, the doctors have told Greg ‘you don’t want any pain, then don’t hit any balls,’ ” Norton said. “But that’s not Greg’s way. He hits 500-600 balls a day in practice and has learned to live with the pain.”