THE MASTERS : Norman Is One to Beat : Golf: He has been playing so well, it might be his time to end Augusta jinx.

The ball was 140 feet from the hole when it started its remarkable journey. It skipped on the fringe and rolled for 30 feet before finding its way to the bottom of the cup. It was 1987 and the defining moment in the Masters career of Greg Norman.

And it wasn’t even his shot. It belonged to Larry Mize, the winner.

One year earlier, Norman found himself on the 18th green with a chance to tie Jack Nicklaus and break the hearts of anyone who ever cared about golf. Norman missed the putt.

And in 1989, it was the 18th hole and Norman had put himself in position to finish in a three-way playoff. Again, he missed the putt. History does repeat itself.

Greg Norman, who has shown equal doses of temper and talent, has returned once again to the cathedral known as Augusta National in hopes of exorcising his ghosts of failure.

This time, Norman is the big favorite--if golf can have such a creature--playing the most brilliant golf in years. The timing is right, considering the Masters, the first of the Grand Slam tournaments, begins a four-day run today.

Two weeks ago, he embarrassed the Tournament Players Championship course at Ponte Vedra, Fla., with a record 24-under-par score. In his 19 starts since the U.S. Open, he has won five times, finished in the top four 11 times and in the top 10 17 times. Along that stretch, he won the British Open and lost in a playoff at the PGA Championship.

“I take being favored as a big compliment,” Norman said. “It means you’re playing well. It adds no pressure. I put all the pressure on myself.”

Norman won’t talk about his past problems, saying: “I made a decision not to talk about those things.”

Nor will he talk about 1991, when his career crashed and he finished 51st on the money list, one year after finishing first.

Norman says he has found inner peace and confidence. Of course, finding inner peace and confidence is a lot easier when you’re shooting the lights out.

Norman attributes his grand roll partly to a newfound interest in Bruce Lee and martial arts. He says the book “Zen of the Martial Arts” has changed him.

“There are a lot of similarities between golf and martial arts,” the 39-year-old Australian said. “I’m not kicking things. I’m just doing it from the mental side, not the physical side.”

Norman says he wants to shade his once tempestuous personality to the unemotional side.

“There’s a big difference between the agony of defeat and the ecstasy of victory,” he said. “The idea is to stay in the gray area in the middle.”

If Norman were to win his first Masters, it is doubtful he’ll be able to stay in the middle.

“You’ve got to think that this is Greg’s year,” said Johnny Miller, who is trying to figure out if he’s a player or a television announcer. “He’s much more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him. His mind and his game are ready to win the close ones. He’s reached a new level.”

Miller’s victory at Pebble Beach this year is more likely a blip on his career rather than a trend. The substantive competition here should come mostly from foreign players.

England’s Nick Faldo and Zimbabwe’s Nick Price are given the best chances to top Norman. And last year’s champion, Bernhard Langer of Germany, a two-time winner, can’t be counted out.

“Greg and Nick Price hit the ball very far,” Langer said. “I’ve always wondered why Greg hasn’t won here.”

The top Americans are Davis Love III and Corey Pavin, winner of the L.A. Open. However, Pavin’s lack of distance off the tee will hurt his chances.

Missing are Fred Couples (back), Paul Azinger (cancer) and Phil Mickelson (broken ankle).

“I’ve played with Jeff Maggert and he’s putting well,” Faldo said, adding a name to the mix. “He could be a dark horse for the Americans. And Tom Kite always plays well here.”

Another golfer to watch is Fuzzy Zoeller, who has finished second in his last three tournaments.

“If you knock on the door long enough, the door will open,” said Zoeller, the 1979 champion.

Masters veterans say that players do nothing but jockey for position through the first 63 holes and that the real tournament doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday.

Zoeller, who was chastised Tuesday for signing autographs on the course, looks at the tournament this way:

“You have to like both Nickies (Faldo and Price) and Woosie (Ian Woosnam) and Bernie (Langer) and Sharkie (Norman). You can’t overlook him. You can’t overlook anyone.”

Zoeller, when pressed, could eliminate only one person from contention in the Masters, a tournament that gives its past winners a lifetime exemption to play, regardless of age. Many still play a few holes for tradition’s sake, then drop out.

“OK, Byron (Nelson, 80) was telling me he hits a five-iron 120 yards,” Zoeller said. “So he’d better have some long tee shots. He’s having trouble moving the weight to his left side through his artificial hip.”