Norman to return in two weeks

A revitalised Greg Norman has declared that he is on course to return to competitive golf in the next two weeks.

The former world number one said he had made a complete recovery from shoulder surgery and would tee off in the Shark Shootout in California on November 13th.

"My shoulder's doing great," Norman said yesterday at a launch for next year's Greg Norman International tournament in Sydney. "The way I feel right now my ability to play is just as strong, maybe even a little bit higher, than what it was preceding the surgery."

Norman, 43, has not played since the US Masters in April but was cleared by doctors last month to start practising. He began slowly by chipping and wedging but is now using the full bag of clubs.

"I've played seven rounds of golf since April and they've all been in the last nine days. I'm way ahead of where I wanted to be. I get more enjoyment out of practising now than I have done for the past five or eight years."