PGA Championship Would Like Greg Norman to Tee It Up

Fifty-three-year-old Greg Norman was the story of the Open Championship through 63 holes. And then Padraig Harrington played some of the best golf we've seen this year on his way to his second Claret Jug in as many British Opens.

It's easy to suggest that his back nine 39 was indicative of another Norman-esque final-round collapse, but who had the guy atop the leaderboard after three rounds and more than three years removed from the PGA Tour? Right, nobody.

Whatever you call it (and I'm going with "balls-out performance"), the PGA Championship, the last major of the year, is very interested in having Norman tee it up early next month. Partially because ratings could be at an all-time low in the Tiger era, but also because Norman hasn't been this (in)famous since 1996.

"I'm hoping we can get him to play [Oakland Hills]," PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka said Monday at the club in Bloomfield Township, where he was speaking to the Detroit Economic Club. "He would be a special invitation. We're going to talk about that this week with our executive committee that approves those invitations. (There are) a handful."

According to the Detroit Free Press, Norman has committed to playing the the Senior British Open and the U.S. Senior Open this week and next, but after that, "That's it. I don't plan on playing any more golf after that for a while."

So it sounds like Steranka has his work cut out for him, and he fully understands that he's at a disadvantage before the tournament starts; it'll be the first week of the Olympics, and Eldrick won't be on the property:

"Anytime you lose a pop-culture icon like Tiger, his absence is going to be felt, but with major championships that are part of golf history, you'll see other people step up, as happened at the British Open," he said. "I can't say it'll be Greg Norman again, but these great stories emerge when you're talking about a chance to go in the history books."

Well, if the PGA Championship needs "pop-culture icons" who have a love for golf, might I recommend Tony Romo for one of those special invitations. If nothing else, it'll give this guy something to do.