greg norman built a six-shot third-round lead at the 1996 Masters and then surrendered it on the final day. This week marks the 30th anniversary of that collapse: Norman shot a final-round 78 while Nick Faldo shot 67 and beat Norman by five shots (confirmed).
Greg Norman at Augusta National
Norman arrived at the 1996 Masters after 96 straight weeks as world No. 1 and opened with a record-equalling 63 before following with rounds of 69 and 71 to establish a six-shot third-round lead at Augusta National (confirmed). During the third round a British journalist was quoted as saying, "Well, Greg, not even you can f*** this up now," a remark recorded in the article and cited as part of the expectation surrounding Norman's position going into Sunday (quoted).
Nick Faldo's 1996 Final Round
Nick Faldo trailed but narrowed the deficit early: Faldo bogeyed the fifth hole yet Norman still led Faldo by five shots after that hole, and Norman was four up after six holes in the final round (confirmed). Norman three-putted from 10 foot for a bogey on the ninth, then made further bogeys on 10 and 11; he made a double bogey after finding the water on the 12th hole, birdied the 13th from the pine straw and saw an eagle chip on 15 shave the cup before finding water at 16 and making another double bogey—a sequence that produced a final-round 78 for Norman and a 67 for Faldo, handing Faldo a five-shot victory (confirmed). The article notes that Norman's quest to become the oldest first-time Masters champion at age 41 ended in tatters as a result of the final-round collapse (confirmed).
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Jack Nicklaus at 1986 Masters
Jack Nicklaus's 1986 charge is presented as precedent: in 1986 Norman entered the final round as solo leader but Jack Nicklaus produced a seven-under run over his closing 10 holes to draw level and claim his sixth green jacket, an event the article marks on its 40th anniversary this week (confirmed). The article places the two Augusta finishes in sequence to underline that Norman had suffered multiple high-profile near-misses at the Masters, with the 1996 collapse framed alongside the 1986 chase by Nicklaus (confirmed).
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The article explicitly claims that Greg Norman's 1996 collapse remains golf's defining Masters drama and that the 30th anniversary renews discussion of Norman as the greatest player never to win the Masters (claimed).
