Norman Does It Again

Greg Norman, the promising young professional from Queensland, returned to Traralgon Golf Club to defend his title, and while several others in the field were expected to make their mark, it was the 23-year-old who once again deposited the winner's share of the purse.

There was little opposition on the closing day, and Norman's winning card was an identical performance to his 1978 victory march. The early-week gales had subsided by the time the players teed off in the first round, and players encountered benign and overcast conditions. Norman opened with a 69, and he took the lead in the second round after returning a 65 to stand at 10 under. That left him in front by two shots at the halfway juncture.

Norman displayed a rare bit of conservatism as he rarely attacked the pins on the weekend. With the exception of the 15th hole, he appeared content to play for the center of Traralgon's greens and let birdies come if the putter was hot.

Huge galleries followed Norman the entire week, and the throng of supporters erupted on the final hole when Norman sank a birdie putt to win his second title in as many years by a comfortable three-shot margin. Norman took 35 putts that final day, and the 18th was his lone one-putt.

Early in the week Norman, along with playing partners David Good and Terry Kendall, gave the galleries an exciting exhibition of accurate driving. However, when asked to account for their lack of sparkle, both said the previous day they were consistently down the center with their drives, but that did not carry over into the final day's play. "Today we were all over the place," said Good.

In addition to the check, Norman also received a special trophy from Perc and Bev Reid. The large silver cup will be Norman's to keep if he wins the tournament for a third time next year. At the presentation ceremony Norman told Traralgon members that they should be proud of having "such a magnificent country course."

Glen McCully and Ian Stanley finished joint second. McCully was the only player to record three sub-70 rounds. He had 69-68-69.