The reason why Tiger Woods was shocked after his first professional round in Australia, according to Greg Norman

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It’s golf season in Australia, as some of the biggest names in the sport head Down Under for the Australian PGA Championships and Australian Open.

Rory McIlroy will be teeing off at the Australian Open at the start of December, and Joaquin Niemann will be joined by Aussie greats Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, and Min Woo Lee at the Australian PGA Championships. 

Those home country heroes will have a decisive advantage going into these tournaments, as these Australian courses have proven to be a stern test for even the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods, in the past. 

Woods had a great record in Australia, but his Australian Open debut left him shocked, according to his fierce rival, Greg Norman. 

Greg Norman said Tiger Woods was shocked after his first professional round in Australia

Woods’ first round in Australia was a disaster. He shot a seven-over par 79 in his opening round of the 1996 Australian Open and finished the tournament four-over par.

But such was the difficulty of the Australian Golf Club in Sydney that week, Woods still finished T5, playing in three days of brutal weather.

He was still a way off the lead, as Norman was a class above the field, winning the event at eight under. And after the tournament, he was quick to jab at Woods.

He told reporters, “We play very difficult courses here. [Woods] got a shock when he shot 79. Perhaps he will appreciate why Australians play so well when they leave home.”

Friday’s second round was the coldest November day on record in Sydney, and that had a major effect on Woods, who said he spent most of the week in bed with an illness.

The weather finally cleared on Sunday, and Woods shot his best round of the tournament, a 70. But it was too little, too late.

Woods said afterwards, “I could not get anything positive going. Physically and mentally, I made a lot of mistakes, and when you do that, you usually don’t win. 

“I spent most of the time in bed, trying to get better (from a cold). It was just a tough week. When the sun finally came out today, I thought I was back in America.”

Tiger Woods snubbed Greg Norman before playing his first Australian Open

Norman has plenty to say about Woods, making several strong comments about his rival over the last quarter-century. But this was really the first time Norman had spoken about the 15-time major winner with any venom, and that’s because Woods had just publicly snubbed him. 

In September 1996, Woods listed Norman’s Shark Shootout on his playing schedule for the rest of the year, but tournament reps said Woods was never invited. The American then received an invite, which he declined in favour of playing the Australian Open the following week.

What started as a friendship between the pair was reportedly broken by this, leading to Norman’s comments about Woods after his professional debut in Australia.

It doesn’t seem the pair has ever truly let their animosity go, and reconciliation doesn’t appear to be on the horizon for these golfing greats.