FanHouse GregNorman

And so ends the fairy tale relationship that most of us thought would last forever. That's right, 15 months after getting hitched, 50-somethings Greg Norman and Chris Evert have separated.

The announcement came Friday, days before Norman was to captain the International side in the President's Cup. I can't imagine it'll have any effect on the team event, and if anything, maybe it'll take some of the focus off Adam Scott, who hasn't played well in oh, I don't know, 15 months.

Good news, though: Norman and Evert part on good terms. Via the Associated Press:

The Presidents Cup is a month away, and Tuesday the teams were announced. It's a welcome break from the FedEx Cup excitement. (To be fair, this year's event has been infinitely more interesting than it was in 2007 or 2008 but still, it's hard to get too worked up about manufactured drama. Well, unless it's wrestling.)

In any event, the International captain, Greg Norman, and the American captain, Fred Couples, were joined by PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem in Washington, DC to name their selections during a televised press conference.

The captains' picks (as well as their comments from the presser -- beware, there's a lot of excitement) are after the jump:

Tom Watson nearly won the British Open nine days ago. A uncooperative putter -- one that has plagued him for most of his career -- proved his undoing, and the 59-year-old would have to settle for second place and the Greg Norman Treatment.

Last year, Norman, then 53, made a run at the Claret Jug, faded late, eventually tied for third, and spent the next 12 months accepting congratulatory wishes for the moral victory. There are worse ways to transition to the old-timer's circuit.

Amid all the back-slapping we've been treated to any number of explanations for Watson's success, despite his advanced age: a golf landscape devoid of talented young players, Watson's Open Championship experience (particularly at Turnberry), his shiny new hip, so and and so forth.

Loren Roberts won the Senior British Open earlier this week, outlasting Greg Norman who, a year ago, finished fifth in the event a week after an improbable third-place showing at the Young Peoples British Open.

This time around, Norman, the 54-hole leader, carded a Sunday 71 (1-over), good for sixth. Perhaps not the final 18 holes of golf he was looking for, but not bad given that he spends more time on his various off-course business ventures than he does preparing for tournaments.

And as long as we're making excuses, here's one for why he didn't win more during his prime: his ex-wife. That's sorta the one he used in a recent television interview. At least according to The Australian:

On Monday, hours after losing the British Open in a playoff to Stewart Cink, Tom Watson (don't know if you heard, but he's 59 years old) hopped a flight to make the short trip from Turnberry, Scotland to Sunningdale, England to prepare for the Senior British Open.

Last year, then 53-year-old Greg Norman logged a third-place finish at the British before tying for fifth at the Senior British. And through the first round, Watson is on a similar path. He's currently tied for sixth, three shots behind leader Fred Funk, after signing for a 67. (Interestingly, Norman also shot 67.)

A year ago, Greg Norman finished third at the British Open after leading the tournament through 54 holes. He then earned a top-5 finish at the Senior British Open the following week.

His out-of-nowhere showing at Royal Birkdale was enough for the PGA Championship to extend him an invitation. Partly because of his performance in Europe, but also because Tiger Woods was rehabbing a bum knee and Norman could help counter floundering television ratings.

He ultimately declined, Padraig Harrington went on to win his second major in as many months, and ratings were predictably awful.

It's been ten years since Jean Van de Velde imploded on Carnoustie's 72nd hole. He stood on the 18th tee box needing just a double-bogey to become the first Frenchmen to win a major championship since Arnaud Massy in 1907. Roughly 15 minutes and seven excruciating strokes later it was over.

Until a few years ago, Greg Norman, despite his two British Open wins, was probably best known for his 1996 Masters collapse. Hardly fair, but people tend to remember the dramatic train wrecks over the less compelling marches to major victory.

His legacy is one of smattered popularity. One minute he's slapping an iron with his eyes closed around a tree that Paul Bunyan couldn't have figured a way through, and the next he's doing things that would make even the closest to him scratch their head in troubled wonder.

Sergio Garcia's career as a pro golfer has been confusing, not by his play, but more by his ability to always pick the worst time to do certain things, so the fact that he might have found his game again, and is overcoming some personal problems, is music to professional golf's ears. We've been waiting for this moment, we just weren't sure it would come again.

Each Wednesday during the golf season, FanHouse will be bringing you the top five names in golf and why they are important this week. Did Barack Obama play 18 holes with Tiger Woods? Did a certain player do something off the course that made him or her a hot topic? Or was just playing golf enough to get the pot stirring? Join us for a new weekly ranking feature we call Making the Cut.

5. Danny Lee -- He is only 18, but Lee has made some waves in his amateur career and just this week decided to turn pro, after using his Masters invitation from his U.S. Amateur win. If you don't think he's ready for the PGA Tour, you're very wrong. Earlier this year, Lee won the Johnnie Walker Classic, a European Tour event that has such esteemed former champions as Adam Scott, Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Mr. Woods. Lee was the youngest winner ever on the European Tour, and will be in the field at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for his first tournament as a pro.