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It was the old Greg Norman, it was the new Greg Norman. When the 53-year-old Australian, now a part-time golfer, turned up at Royal Birkdale, he stunned everyone by reproducing some vintage form to put himself in contention for a third British Open title, 15 years after he won his last.
But it was a new, more relaxed attitude that stemmed from a happy home life with his wife of less than a month – former tennis star Chris Evert – that Norman credited with his success.
There were echoes of the old Norman when he finished the tournament tied for third place, six strokes behind winner Padraig Harrington, after starting the day with a two-stroke lead.
It was the eighth time Norman had led going into the final round of a major, but his only triumph from that position came at the 1986 British Open at Turnberry.
However, the best evidence that the new Norman is here to stay came in the upbeat way he handled his latest disappointment.
“I can stand here now and say, `yeah I’m disappointed,'” Norman said.
“Where does it rank? Probably not as high as some of the other ones, that’s for sure, because, quite obviously, I’ve surprised a lot of people.
“At the same time, immediately I think about it now, what happens if I’d won … then I might have had to be out here playing more golf and maybe that’s what I didn’t want to do anyway.”
He added: “That shouldn’t be any excuse for it.”
Norman said his remarkable return did not mean he would make a full-blown comeback to the circuit.
“No. Quite honestly, no,” he said.
“It still doesn’t fire me up to go out there. I’m going to play the next two weeks, the Senior British Open and the Senior US Open and that’s it.
“I don’t plan on playing any more golf after that for a while. I have a lot of other work to do.”
Norman is adamant that golf is less important to him now than his business interests and having time with his family – a lot of it spent playing tennis with his new bride.
He admits he plays more tennis than he does golf.
Yet playing his first major in three years and his first tournament since May, Norman successfully navigated the vicious winds that battered Royal Birkdale all week.
When he was in sight of becoming the oldest winner of a major championship, he shot his worst round of the tournament, a seven-over-par 77, but there was no disgrace in that.
Harrington, meanwhile, carded a one-under 69 to defend the title he won at Carnoustie last year.
England’s Ian Poulter was second at seven over, while Norman and Henrik Stenson of Sweden were two strokes further adrift.
“I’m disappointed for sure but at the end of the day, Padraig did a tremendous job and he is a deserving champion,” Norman said.
On being presented with the Claret Jug, Harrington thanked Norman.
“He was tremendous, he was a true gentleman,” the Irishman said.
“His sportsmanship on the golf course is second to none.”
Norman took time to settle into his game and had some wretched luck with his putting.
While Harrington had a wobble with three consecutive bogeys at the end of the front nine, he was flawless down the stretch and became the first European in more than a century to retain the British Open title.
While Norman’s 1986 title at Turnberry and 1993 British Open win remain his only major victories in a distinguished career, anything he feels he has left to do lies elsewhere.
“It’s nice to have a balanced life,” he said.
“I don’t grind it out on the golf course anymore.
“I just play when I like to play and practise when I like to practise.
“I practise a lot with my son, and I go out there and enjoy teaching him how to play the game of golf, so I’ve got a lot of other things that keep my interest.”