IT WILL be remembered as one of the wonders of the sporting year, how the 53-year-old Greg Norman took a two-shot lead into the final round of The Open at Royal Birkdale. Blond-haired Norman, with his new wife, the former Wimbledon champion Chris Evert, has captivated the world of golf by producing three days of brilliance to give himself a chance of what would be arguably the greatest victory in the history of the game.

In terms of elite golf, Norman is at an age where the candles cost more than the cake. He has won The Open twice and has another 76 professional tournament victories, but the player known as the Great White Shark is as famous for the fish that got away. Many times he led going into the final round of a major only to see the prize slip away and he has a grand slam of major playoff defeats. Who knows what awaits him this afternoon when he and the defending champion, Padraig Harrington make up the final pairing?

It has been inspirational to watch him produce a performance that has kept him ahead of men 10, 20 and 30 years his junior. Of all the players in the field, he has played the most imaginative golf. Today’s professionals hit five irons up to 220 yards depending on the wind, Norman used his to play low 120-yard shots. “The yardage was mentioned but I didn’t pay attention. I saw the shot, I knew that was the shot I had to play to get the ball close to the hole.”

Why should Norman rediscover the form that made him a world No 1 two decades ago? Perhaps it has something to do with Evert, who he married after the end of his 25-year marriage to Laura. He has seemed at ease this week and Evert has never been far from his side. Should he close the deal this afternoon, middle-aged golfers all around the country will have tough decisions to make.

Harrington is under no illusions about how formidable Norman remains: “He is as fit a 53-year-old as there is. He hasn’t lost any of his ability.” The Shark will have Harrington and a battalion of younger players snapping at his heels. KJ Choi and England’s Simon Wakefield are best placed to take advantage of any slips by the leaders. But The Open so far has belonged to Norman. “If I’m a young kid,” he said, “looking on, seeing a guy at 53 years old leading The Open and I’m only 18, I’m going to say, ‘Boy, I’ve got a lot of years left in my career’. It’s great.”