Has anyone made a Greg “the Shark” Norman sighting lately? For a man whose life on and off the golf course was under the microscope weekly for the last 10 years, he seems to have become a regular citizen.

This is probably the worst season in the Shark’s career, but that’s because he has had shoulder surgery that began after he missed the cut at the 1998 Masters for the second straight year.

The only other year that could be compared to this year is 1991, when he was adjusting his swing, shaking off bitter defeat after bitter defeat, and just played horribly.

Norman has only made $25,925 dollars this season in three events, good for a whopping 221st on the PGA Tour money list. In the three events this year, he has missed the cut twice and shot only one of his eight competitive rounds under par. His best, and only, finish was a tie for 27th.

To truly respect the Shark is not to look at this season, but to look at his great — though sometimes unfortunate — career.

Since joining the PGA Tour in 1983, Norman has won over 20 Tour events, and has an unheard-of 83 victories worldwide. He has amassed nearly $12 million in earnings, easily first in PGA Tour history.

However, not everything is roses for the Shark. He is the only player to lose every major in a playoff. Winning only two majors when he could have had 10 is a disappointing thought.

If one had to choose his best season, it would probably be either 1986 (when he led all majors) or 1995 (when he won three times and was voted Player of the Year by his peers).

In 1986, Norman had the “Saturday Slam” going for him. Leading all four of golf’s majors after three rounds, he finished second behind ageless wonder Jack Nicklaus at the Masters when he bogeyed the last hole.

At the U.S. Open, he finished tied for 12th. He held on to win the British Open and lost the PGA Championship when Bob Tway holed out from a bunker on the last hole to win.

Those are not the only bad breaks he has had. He lost by shooting 75 in the ’84 U.S. Open playoff, was the victim of a chip-in by Larry Mize on the second sudden death hole in the ’87 Masters, lipped out a putt on the second playoff hole in the ’93 PGA, and shot 74 in the final round of the ’95 U.S. Open.

However, the most bitter of all has to be the worst collapse in major championship history at the ’96 Masters, when he held a six shot lead and lost by five (for those counting, that’s an 11 shot swing).

All these poor performances under pressure, unlikely victories by other players and so on have given the Shark the billing of “doing less with more.”

Yet the charisma on the golf course, the excitement he creates with the power he exudes when swinging the driver, and his unparalleled ability to stay near the lead in most tournaments makes golf fans cheer for him.

A few years back, Norman said he had the “Seven Year Plan” for his life. He was 38 at the time, and he said he would give it all up at 45 and move his family back home to Australia. Now 43, and with his performance the last couple of years (six missed cuts, compared to a total of six from 1991-95), one has to wonder if his passion for the game is running out.

Norman, by winning the British Open in 1993 and the NEC World Series of Golf in both ’95 and ’97, has 25 years of golf left because of the 10-year exemptions given to the winner of each tournament.

Who would it really surprise if he were to give up the game for good? The man runs successful businesses with Cobra golf clubs, Great White Shark Enterprises, and has his own turf company. He also has six or seven Ferraris, a Gulfstream jet, a helicopter to travel to tournaments, and a yacht called “Aussie Rules.”

He has everything anyone could possibly want and more, so what would be the reason for staying on the Tour? It’s probably not so he can add to his 31 second place finishes on the Tour.

He has said on occasion that he has no plans for participating on the Senior Tour when he turns 50. Of course, that’s a long way away.

It has now been five months since the Shark has played in a tournament, and he is targeting the President’s Cup in December when it is in Melbourne, Australia. That means he will miss his annual Shark Shootout charity tournament in November.

He claims he will be coming back in 1999 at 100 percent. However, with the multi-millions that he makes already, is it time for Tiger Woods to claim the throne as golf’s glamour boy?