cover image Stalking the Shark: Pressure and Passion on the Pro Golf Tour

Stalking the Shark: Pressure and Passion on the Pro Golf Tour

Carl A. Vigeland. W. W. Norton & Company, $25 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-393-03795-1

Many a complaint has been voiced about pro golfers of the post-Palmer-Nicklaus-Trevino era, the most frequent one being that they are colorless. But that objection does not apply to one player, Greg Norman, the crowd-pleasing Aussie nicknamed the Great White Shark. The problem with the excitement he generates, however, is that it is based on the cliff-hanger quality of his play-he has more one-stroke second-place finishes than any other active pro, some of them detailed here. Interspersed between revealing short takes from Norman himself, titled ""Sharkbites,"" are chapters by freelance golf writer Vigeland, who while keeping his chief subject in focus writes as much about the pro tour and other players such as Nick Price and Brad Faxon. The result, abounding in amusing anecdotes, will appeal to links fans, but Shark-worshipers may feel shortchanged. Photos not seen by PW. (June)