Jack Nicklaus Thinks Greg Norman Could Contend in '09 Masters

Listen, I love Jack Nicklaus. Love the guy. I think the 1986 Masters was as good as golf can get. A 30 on the back nine at Augusta on a Sunday? Goose flesh, meet chill bumps.

But, in the waning years, Nicklaus has had a tendency to say rather ridiculous comments. He complained about the use of a golf cart with Casey Martin even though Martin basically was walking with a 4-iron shaft as his leg. He thought the Americans would win the Ryder Cup "easily" this summer even though they were overmatched (which I still call crazy talk since the reason the US team won was because Paul Azinger might have been the best Ryder Cup captain ever and made every correct move possible). He also isn't sure that Sergio Garcia, who is currently the second best player in the world, could win a major.

So what now? Well, Nicklaus thinks Greg Norman, who is now 53, could contend at the Masters in 2009. No, seriously.

"[Norman's] talent is still there," Nicklaus said at the Merrill Lynch Shootout in Naples, Fla., Thursday. "He's always kept himself in great shape. I think he'll have a great time going back and have a lot of fun. He's always played well at Augusta, and there's no reason why at age 53 -- I mean, I almost won it on one leg at 58 (in 1998).

"So certainly a man who's in a lot better shape than I was and five years younger can certainly do pretty well," Nicklaus said.

I'm going to say this for everyone to hear. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, that age will ever win the Masters again. Sure, Norman could contend on a golf course like Royal Birkdale this summer. The course was dried out and distance, while helpful, wasn't key. The new Augusta is nothing like that. It measured 7,445 yards in 2008 and with only a few minor tweaks for '09, should be around the same distance. He averaged 278 yards off the tee this year on tour, which would put Norman 170th on the list and have him average 173.5 yards into the slick greens of Augusta on the par-4s. Think you can score from that far away?

I love the notion, if it happened I would be just as thrilled as Jack, but I just don't see it mathematically making sense.