Norman Wins Australian Open

Greg Norman shot a flawless three-under-par, final-round 69 Sunday and won the $800,000 Australian Open for the fifth time, with Tiger Woods a distant 12 shots back.

Promotional material for the tournament had billed it as “Tiger Stalks Shark.”

Norman finished eight strokes ahead of his nearest rival in winning for a second consecutive year. He had a total of 280, eight-under-par, over the par-72, 7,046-yard The Australian Golf Club course.

Norman was the only player to finish with a sub-par total and earned $151,570 for his 77th career triumph.

“I just focused and stayed patient,” Norman said, after carding three birdies and no bogeys. “I was nervous, but I knew I had to get the job done. It was very important for me to win here.”

Wayne Grady, the 1990 U.S. PGA champion who is winless in two years, had a 69 to finish second at 288. Woods, who came close to missing the cut after an opening-round 79, never got close to Norman and finished tied for fifth at 292 after a closing 70.