SOUTHPORT, England -- You knew the 137th British Open had gone completely wacko Friday when suddenly Chris Evert stood amid a gaggle of reporters discussing her new husband Greg Norman's backhand.
"He's got a big serve, but he loves hitting his ground strokes," the 18-time Grand Slam tennis champion said. "He loves the fact that he has both a slice backhand and a topspin backhand, sort of a Federer backhand, and his game's quite good considering that you never know if golfers can run."
It's like some surrealistic flashback around here, where most of the day Friday the leaderboards at Royal Birkdale showed the name "Norman" at the top at even par, golf's most venerable major shockingly headed by a 53-year-old businessman and part-time golfer who'd played zero of the last 11 majors and credits tennis -- tennis! -- with his abrupt resurgence.
Sure, some things do make sense, as when K.J. Choi, No. 11 in the world and clearly nibbling at major hardware for five years of luminous play, passed Norman late Friday to assume the lead at one under par and said, "My swing is very good this week, very powerful, simple."
It makes sense that at two over par heading for the weekend, Rocco Mediate contends in the Rocco Mediate At 45 Summer Happiness Tour, Jim Furyk contends in the major he originally figured to win way back when, defending champion Padraig Harrington contends with a champion's know-how, and on the outskirts of contention lurk bright lights Adam Scott (five behind) and Sergio Garcia (six behind).
It makes sense that the wind has served as sergeant-at-arms here even as it ebbed from sadistic Thursday to merely spiteful Friday with forecasts calling for a return to sadism on the weekend.
And while it doesn't make sense that Camilo Villegas, the dashing 26-year-old Colombian, wrung a jaw-dropping 65 with five closing birdies out of the first British Open of his life to get to one over, it still makes more sense than . . .
Greg Norman.
First question: "Did you anticipate being in this position after 36 holes?"
Norman: "Nope."
The two-time British Open champion wildly famous for big talent and Sunday calamity, he'd become the first known person to shoot 70 and 70 while supposedly using the British Open as preparation for two senior opens.
He'd become that rare individual to lead a British Open much of the day Friday after playing in two majors out of 18 in the last five years and by preparing with, well, a big wedding in the Bahamas.
