Associated Press
Wednesday, August 2

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. -- Greg Norman's hip surgery is available immediately for all to see on his personal website, Shark.com. Those who want to witness again the Norman Conquest of the PGA Tour -- which occurred from 1984 to 1997 -- will have a longer wait.

	Greg Norman's last PGA Tour win came in 1997.

Norman is 45 now, and while still in superb condition, he's more prone to injury. Shoulder and back injuries have slowed Norman in recent years, but the good news is that both were caused by a hip condition that was repaired arthroscopically five weeks ago, on June 28.

"The ball in my socket was too big," Norman said Wednesday. "It was a birth defect in my right hip. It's bothered me for seven or eight years.

"I was walking incorrectly, and I made changes in my swing. My shoulder problem came from the hip, and my back came from my hip. It's all tied together."

The final straw came in the U.S. Open in June when, after a long weather delay, Norman became stiff and then wrenched his hip when he caught his spikes in carpet.

"I knew I was history that day," he said, and the surgery followed.

Last Wednesday -- four weeks after the operation -- Norman resumed hitting balls. On Tuesday, he played and walked 18 holes for the first time since the surgery.

Despite an aggressive rehabilitation program that finds him returning to competitive golf two weeks ahead of schedule in The International here, Norman knows his recovery will not be without obstacles.

"I've had to learn how to walk properly again," he said. "Being conscious of where your foot lands is not the easiest thing in the world to do. From the golf swing standpoint, I've got to trust that I can actually rotate my hip, instead of sliding. I have to teach some muscles new tricks."

His attitude, however, couldn't be better.

"I have no pain anymore," he said. "My quality of life is so much better. I don't have to stand up to eat my breakfast in the morning. I could never sit for long because of the pain. Lining up putts the other day, I flinched getting up from the squat position. It didn't hurt, it was just subconscious. I've got to retrain myself."

Norman is convinced he can be a dominating player again.

"I'm 45, but 45 is a number," he said. "I feel like I'm a 30-year-old, 35-year-old. So I feel like I've got the ability to do it. How long will that take? How long is a piece of string?"