Antonio Murdaca meets with Greg Norman ahead of Masters

Antonio Murdaca and Qantas Golf Club members get a special lesson from The Great White Shark.

Not long after Antonio Murdaca convincingly won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and earn himself a berth in the 2015 Masters Tournament, Greg Norman offered his congratulations to the rising star of Australian golf.

@SharkGregNorman Thanks so much Mr Norman, means a lot! Hope to have a have a hit with you sometime, would be amazing. So thrilled!

— Antonio Murdaca (@AntonioMurdaca1) October 30, 2014

And while the pair weren’t able to play a round together today at New South Wales Golf Club, Norman and Murdaca chatted about what to expect at Augusta as Mark Hayes reported at Golf Australia.

“But that nervousness, take it more as excitement. If you get excited about something you love doing, you’re going to perform extremely well.
“I’ll watch you. I wont’ be there but I’ll definitely be watching.”
And if that wasn’t pressure enough for the wide-eyed South Australian, he had one last word of advice.
“It’s an easy golf course, by the way,” Norman quipped light-heartedly of the track on which he became a global legend, even though he never pulled on the winner’s green jacket.

It was apt that Norman and Murdaca met at New South Wales GC, a course that Greg Norman has had a hand in re-shaping over the years and the place where he handed Adam Scott the Stonehaven Trophy for his Australian Open victory in 2009. In hindsight, a big turning point in Scott’s career.

Murdaca has had great preparation for his first major golf tournament. The 19-year-old recently returned from a week practising at Augusta National and followed it with a convincing victory at the South Australian Amateur Classic at Royal Adelaide.

Mark Hayes at Golf Australia also reported that Norman commented on who he thinks will win the Masters and has backed Jason Day to win in one of the most open Masters in a long time.

“But Jason’s playing extremely well. He’s managed his schedule extremely well coming into it. He’s primed, he’s fresh and ready to go.”

“His game suits Augusta National, but there are a lot of other great players out there and I think it’s going to be one of the widest open Masters in a long period of time. It will be good television.”

Murdaca is one of six Australians who have earned a spot at the 2015 Masters Tournament in two weeks time. The other five are Adam Scott, Jason Day, John Senden, Marc Leishman and Geoff Ogilvy.

Greg Norman was in Australia to not only play a round of golf with Anthony Murdaca but to give an intimate golf clinic to Qantas Golf Club who put their new skills to the test by playing 9-holes, including one hole with Norman at New South Wales GC.

“It was great to finally meet Antonio in person and it was a fantastic surprise for Qantas Golf Club members to have the benefit of Antonio’s golfing tips as well,” Norman added.