Politics & Power Quote by Greg Norman

Greg Norman’s line is almost aggressively plain, the kind of locker-room diplomacy that reveals more in what it refuses to do than in what it says. “Well, I think” is a softener that telegraphs caution: this is an athlete managing a microphone as much as a tournament. Then he repeats himself - “championship” twice in one breath - as if emphasis can stand in for specificity. It’s the safest possible hierarchy: any national title matters, full stop. No favorites named, no rival diminished, no sponsor offended, no home crowd slighted.

The intent is strategic neutrality. Athletes are constantly baited into ranking events, countries, courses, eras - and any ranking becomes a headline, a grievance, a bulletin-board quote. Norman preemptively sidesteps that trap by universalizing importance. The subtext is reputational triage: he’s protecting relationships across tours, federations, and fanbases, especially in a sport where “which championship counts most” isn’t just bar talk, it’s economics and legacy.

Context matters because golf’s prestige map is messy: majors, national opens, tour championships, and era-specific controversies about what constitutes the pinnacle. Norman, long framed as both global star and occasionally polarizing figure, benefits from sounding deferential to the idea of national titles without staking a claim. The line functions like a well-hit layup: not flashy, but it keeps you in position. The emotional note is respect - but the real power is risk management, delivered in the calm cadence of someone who’s learned that, in public, every comparison becomes a controversy.