Toucan

Legendary Australian star Greg Norman insisted that he is not thinking about winning the Open despite being only a shot of the lead after round one.

The 53-year-old former two-time Open winner carded a round of level-par 70 at Royal Birkdale and is a shot of leaders Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, American Rocco Mediate and Australian Robert Allenby.

Norman, who won his two Open titles at Turnberry in 1986 and Sandwich in 1993, is only playing his sixth tournament of the year. He admitted that the only reason he was playing the Open this year was because this tournament was special to him.

"I practise more tennis than golf," joked Norman. "But there's something about this tournament, the atmosphere, the excitement.

"Coming down the 18th after five and a half hours, the way the crowd react to you, you don't get that anywhere else.

"I have to keep my expectations realistically low. People say it's like riding a bike but even doing that after a while you're a little wobbly."

"If I give myself a chance at the end of the tournament, then you start thinking about it. But you don't on a Thursday afternoon."

Norman is one of the greatest players to have played the game and spent an unbelievable 331 weeks ranked as the number one golfer in the world.

The three-time Masters runner-up, however, admitted that he couldn't envisage playing on a full-time basis again. Norman said his "mind still wants to play but the body doesn't want to practise".

© Adfero Ltd