FanHouse GregNorman

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.

Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.

In 1996, Greg Norman had one of the most epic collapses in the history of golf. Carrying a six-shot lead into the final round of that year's Masters, Norman was set to finally grab that green jacket that had eluded him for so long.

You all know the story. Norman wound up losing the tournament to Nick Faldo and in accordance with the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words," has this lasting image that summed up his experience at Augusta. After a final round 78, Norman had two choices: he could duck out of Augusta or he could face the music. Norman responded courageously by heading into the press room and answering all questions asked of him for 45 minutes. He earned the respect of darn near any golfer that has played the game.

Kenny Perry had the Masters wrapped, staring down a two-stroke lead with just two holes to go. But he missed just left on 18 to close out bogey-bogey, and after an impressive Angel Cabrera up-and-down for par on 18, there's going to be some free golf at Augusta.

That's right: playoff time. Chad Campbell, Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera head to a sudden-death Masters playoff on holes 18, 10 and 11.

Update, Hole One: Campbell lost his putt low and is eliminated from the playoff -- Perry and Cabrera head to 10.

Tiger Woods has a history of slow starts at the Masters. In 1997, his first trip to Augusta National as a professional, he fired an opening-round 70 that included a front-nine 40. He won by 12 shots.

When Augusta National was lengthened to more than 7,400 yards, people didn't believe that anyone would be able to tame the course like in years past. Augusta was supposed to be tough, fierce and the new face of the course was going to extinguish those Sunday cheers the patrons had grown so fond of.

Thursday showed us that wasn't the case, and Chad Campbell is quickly becoming the man to reveal that it can be had. Through 16 holes, the runner-up to the 2003 PGA Championship is 9-under for the day, which would tie the Augusta National course record if he could par out. A birdie on one of the last two holes and Campbell would do something that has never been done -- shoot a 62 in a major championship.

Nick Price shot a 63 in 1986 and Greg Norman fired the same score in 1996, but neither went on to win the Masters.

Update: Campbell bogeys 17. Now "just" 8-under. Birdie on 18 to tie the course record at Augusta.

Second Update: Campbell bogeys 18 as well to shoot 65 and take the clubhouse lead by a shot.

The 2009 Masters are underway, and unlike last year, when Arnold Palmer hit the ceremonial first shot into a cloud of fog, it has been an incredible day, weather-wise, from the start.

Palmer's first shot this year found the middle of the fairway and the first group built on that momentum. In the second group of the day was Par-3 Tournament winner Tim Clark, who, in typical form, bogeyed his first two par-3s before getting it together and reeling off four birdies on his closing 12 holes before posting a 4-under 68, leading the tournament in the clubhouse.

Right behind Clark are Ross Fisher, Kevin Sutherland, and Prayad Marksaeng who all posted 3-under 69s and will enjoy the rest of the mid-70 degree day fine-tuning their game while other golfers try to put the finishing touches on some rather salty (read: "good") rounds.

It's been nearly ten years since Sergio Garcia hit that shot at the PGA Championship, the one that was supposed to define his career -- like Jack's 1-iron on the 17th at Pebble in '72, or Tom Watson's chip-in for birdie on that same hole a decade later. Instead it serves as a reminder of opportunity lost, at least when the conversation turns to the majors.

In 1999, Garcia was a novelty, a charismatic 19-year-old Spaniard whose game reminded us of Seve, but better, more polished. He was the first "next player to challenge Tiger Woods."

Then reality intervened.

Golf is a game of superstitions. People mark their balls the same way every time (tails up for me), prepare the same, and, if things are going well, even eat the same meal all week. If golf had a Taj Mahal of superstitions, it would be winning the Par-3 Tournament at the Masters, a nine-hole event played every year since 1960 on the Wednesday before tournament day.

No player has won the Par-3 Tournament and gone on to win the Masters. Nobody. Ever.