Before Tiger Woods, there was Greg Norman.
For 331 weeks, a period that lasted through the 1980s and 1990s, he was regarded as the world's top golfer or as his fans knew him, The Shark for his enormous size and blonde locks.
Leading up to that record was a career that began in a golf shop in Australia. Norman knew he loved the sport at an early age.
It was not until 1976, however, when he won his first professional tournament at the Westlakes Classic in Australia. This was quickly followed by Norman signing on with the European Tour and PGA Tour.
During his reign as the number one golfer in the world, Norman was winning one championship after another. Despite this fact, reports at that time were he still managed to under achieve at many competitions he entered such as the PGA Championship in 1986 and The Masters the following year.
What kept him successful was his long stroke. Driving long and straight was his trademark, especially if he was able to use a wooden club for the job.
The Shark won the PGA Tour of Australia's Order of Merit six time and the European equivalent once. He topped the PGA Tour's Money List three times and won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average on the PGA Tour in 1989, 1990 and 1994.
Norman married in 1981 and the couple had two children. They lived in Hobe Sound, Florida and his daughter attended Boston College. In 2006, Norman announced he was getting a divorce but would not give the reasons as to why. He is now rumored to be dating former tennis star Chris Evert.
In 2005, golf fans were still hoping Norman might become a regular on the senior golf circuit. They speculated though it probably wasn't realistic as Norman had undergone knee surgery more than once.
In 2001, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.