MONZA, Italy – Martin Kaymer opened with four straight birdies on his way to a 7-under 65 Saturday to grab a share of the lead after the third round of the Italian Open.

The former top-ranked German had his lone bogey on the fifth but added another four birdies to sit tied with Jens Fahrbring of Sweden and Frenchman Romain Wattel atop the leaderboard with a 17-under total of 199.

“I am looking forward to tomorrow – it will be a challenge to myself and a challenge to beat my opponents,” said Kaymer, who is looking for a first win since triumphing at last year’s U.S. Open. “I am up there with a chance to win on Sunday and that’s all you want at the end of the day.”

Fahrbring, who led overnight with Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark, had seven birdies but dropped three shots on his way to a 68.

Wattel had spent most of the day in the chasing pack and made the turn in 35, but a birdie on the 13th gave him a boost and he eagled the next hole before further gains on the 16th and 17th on his way to a 66.

The trio is two shots ahead of Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay (68), Bjerregaard (70) and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger (67).

Y.E. Yang hit a hole-in-one on the 143-yard 12th hole – the 42nd on The European Tour this season. Yang shot a 69 to sit tied for 41st, seven shots back.

SAN MARTIN, Calif. – Former PGA Tour player Omar Uresti and Sean Dougherty won two matches Friday to help the United States take a 4 1/2-3 1/2 lead over Great Britain and Ireland in the PGA Cup.

Uresti and Dougherty beat Englishmen Lee Clarke and Paul Hendriksen 1 up for the Americans’ lone point in the morning fourball matches at CordeValle in the competition for club professionals. The U.S. duo topped Ireland’s Niall Kearney and England’s Alex Wright 3 and 1 in the afternoon foursomes.

“Pars weren’t very good out there today. You had to make birdies,” said Dougherty, the PGA head professional at Oakwood Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. “Omar and I have similar personalities. Our games fit well together. We both like to attack the golf course, but we are still gritty. Seeing our teammates post (U.S.) flags on the scoreboard this afternoon really helped our momentum.”

In the other foursomes matches, Bon Sowards and Jamie Broce routed Englishmen Cameron Clark and Lee Clarke 8 and 7, Michael Block and Stuart Deane beat Scotland’s Graham Fox and England’s David Dixon 4 and 3, and Matt Dobyns and Ben Polland halved with England’s Jason Livermore and Scotland’s Gareth Wright.

In fourball play, Clark and England’s Michael Watson beat Polland and Dobyns 3 and 2, Fox and Dixon topped Sowards and Broce 2 and 1, and Levermore and Wright edged Alan Morin and Grant Sturgeon 3 and 2.

The U.S. leads the series 17-5-4.

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Brett Stegmaier shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Web.com Tour Finals’ Small Business Connection Championship.

The 32-year-old former University of Florida player had a 13-under 131 total at River Run. He had his second straight bogey-free round after opening with a 63 to take a two-stroke lead.

“I think I actually hit the ball better today than yesterday,” Stegmaier said. “I was hitting it so solid that I was going long on quite a few holes and I had lots of 20- and 30-footers for birdie.

“I really don’t think I was close to making a bogey all day. If you would have given me a 68 at the start of the day I would have taken it. Everybody knows it’s hard to back up a round like I had yesterday. I didn’t really have a score in mind when I started.”

The four-event series features the top 75 players from the Web.com Tour money list, Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings and non-members of the tour who earned enough money to have placed in the top 200 had they been eligible to receive points. The top 25 players on Web.com regular-season money list earned PGA Tour cards. They are competing against each other for tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting. The other players are fighting for another 25 cards based on earnings in the series.

Stegmaier finished seventh in the regular-season finale in Oregon to jump to 69th on the Web.com Tour’s money list and get into the series. He earned $31,000 last week with an eighth-place finish in the series opener in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Eric Axley was second after a 65. The winner of the PGA Tour’s 2006 Texas Open, he was 189th this season in the FedEx Cup standings.

“I’ve felt like I’ve been on the verge for a while,” Axley said. “My practice rounds, even those back on the PGA Tour, were really good and when the bell rang, it just wasn’t quite there. This is more of how I’ve been playing in the practice rounds.:

Zack Fischer was third at 11 under after a 68. He was 48th on the Web.com Tour money list.

Canadian Brad Fritsch climbed the leaderboard following a 2-under 70 to move into a tie for 36th. Roger Sloan shot 76.

With his game ailing, Tiger Woods announced he underwent a second microdiscectomy surgery on his back.

“This is certainly disappointing, but I’m a fighter,” Woods said. “I’ve been told I can make a full recovery, and I have no doubt that I will.”

Woods made the announcement on his website – www.tigerwoods.com – and reported the microsurgical procedure – intended to relieve pain from a pinched nerve – was performed late Wednesday in Park City, Utah, by neurosurgeon Dr. Charles Rich.

Dr. Rich, who performed the initial operation in March 2014, called it “a complete success.” Woods was discharged Thursday.

The 14-time major champion has not won one of golf’s four biggest events since the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods also has won more than 100 events worldwide, but none since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods said he would be forced to cancel planned appearances at three events – the Frys.com Open at Silverado in California and the Bridgestone America’s Golf Cup in Mexico City next month and his own Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in early December.

“I’d like to send my regrets to Frys and all those associated with the America’s Golf Cup … I will be attending my foundation-hosted Hero World Challenge but won’t be able to play,” Woods said.

After experiencing lingering discomfort in his back and hip, Woods elected to have surgery quickly in hopes of returning to the PGA Tour early in 2016, or as soon as possible. He is scheduled to begin rehabbing within a week.

“I appreciate the fans’ concern and support,” he said. “This is unfortunate, but these things happen. I’ve been injured before and played again. It won’t be any different this time.”

Murfreesboro, Tennessee’s Jason Millard shot a 7-under 63 at Highland Country Club on Friday to take the second round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, the final event of the 2015 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 26-year old carded seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to reach 10-under and take a three-stroke lead over defending champion Ryan Williams of Vancouver, B.C., Order of Merit leader J.J. Spaun and Californians John Catlin and Ben Geyer.

“That’s a tough golf course out there, but I’ve started to make some putts and I haven’t really done that in the last couple of months, so it’s good to see,” said Millard, who comes into the event 30^th on the Order of Merit, but with just one made cut in his last four starts.

“That’s just golf. I’ve missed the cut by one shot and two shots, so it’s not like I’ve been playing bad,” said Millard. “Hopefully I can keep it going the next couple of days.”

Millard’s best finish this season is a tie for second at the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist on a course, Uplands Golf Club, that Millard says bears a strong resemblance to this week’s layout at Highland.

“I said to someone I was playing a practice round with that I think it’s very similar,” said Millard, who owns three top-25 finishes on the Mackenzie Tour this season.

Williams, who claimed his first Mackenzie Tour title at the event last year, moved into contention with a bogey-free 65, one of just four rounds without a blemish on Friday, while Spaun held steady in a tie for second at 7-under along with first-round leader Catlin and Order of Merit no. 60 Ben Geyer, the last man in the field.

“I had the putter really going today, which was nice. I made a lot of putts and had no bogeys on the card, so it was a fun round of golf,” said Williams, who won with a 14-under total last year at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club.

Dundas, Ontario’s Mackenzie Hughes birdied the final two holes for the new tournament course record with an 8-under 62.

NUMBERS YOU NEED TO KNOW

92: Ben Geyer’s yardage to the hole on 17, where he holed out for eagle.

62: Mackenzie Hughes’ Tournament Course Record on Friday.

23: Players within three shots of second place after two rounds.

QUOTABLES:

“I tried to hit about an 82-yard shot just because of how firm it is right now. It took a couple of bounces and tricked in just like a putt.” – Ben Geyer on his hole-out for eagle on the 17^th

“After the round yesterday, I told myself, ‘I’m nine shots back, but the course was windy today, and if I go pretty low tomorrow I’m still in it.’ I still have two more rounds to go, so you never know,” – C.T. Pan, who played his way back into the tournament with a 7-under 63 to sit tied for 14^th.

“I don’t have a whole lot to lose; I’m kind of in no-man’s land when it comes to the money list. I need to finish high, or it’s not going to affect me too much. I went out there a bit more free today and started to make some putts. I’m close enough to where I could possibly jump into that top 10, but it’s not like it’s a tap-in. I have to play really well.” – Mackenzie Hughes, who shot the new course record of 62 at Highland Country Club. Hughes enters the week 14^th on the Order of Merit.

“I’ve been in this position before. I’ll be in one of the last groups out tomorrow, and I’ve got the confidence that I’ve been there before and done it before, which definitely helps.” – Ryan Williams on being in a familiar position in London.

Notes:

• Weather: 24 degrees Celsius (29 with Humidity). Cloudy with showers. Winds 32 km/h.
• Charlie Bull played as a single in the day’s first group, shooting an even-par 70 in 2 hours and 5 minutes.
• Taylor Pendrith holds a $3,919 lead over Albin Choi in the race for Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year and a $25,000 prize. Both opened with rounds of 67-67 to sit in a tie for sixth.
• Ross Beal and Clayton Rask both drove the 18^th green and made eagle on Friday.
• Bogey free rounds on Friday: C.T. Pan (63), Ryan Williams (65), Julien Brun (65), J.J. Spaun (67).
• Click here for scores.
• Click here for photos. Please credit Claus Andersen/PGA TOUR.

The Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) is the official charitable beneficiary of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship. Fifty-five per cent of ticket proceeds will go towards the wide range of services provided to more than 8000 children, youth and their families through the organization’s London Centre and its 15 regional office locations across Southwestern Ontario. Clients range in age from birth to 19 with services supporting a range of special needs including physical disabilities, communication disorders, developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders.

Children aged 17-and-under get in free all week at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship. Free junior tickets are available for download here. Additional details, including ticket information, can be found at www.freedom55financialchampionship.com.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – As Jason Day’s long eagle putt at the last hole rolled down the hill and toward the hole, every revolution of the ball only added to the sense of inevitability.

When it disappeared into the cup for an 8-under 63, a PGA Tour record-tying 36-hole score of 18 under and a five-shot lead at the BMW Championship, Day pumped his fist as playing partners Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler broke into widening grins and then applause.

Their expressions said it all about golf’s man of the moment: Day is making everything that matters.

“I feel like I should be paying to come watch some of this,” said Spieth, tied for fifth at 11 under. “It was special.”

Special enough, anyway, that Day’s closest pursuers, rookie Daniel Berger and Brendon Todd, shot 64 and 63, respectively, on a rain-softened Conway Farms layout and still couldn’t make up any ground. Yet Day’s day could have been more special still.

After heavy rain forced a suspension of the opening round, Day returned to Conway Farms early Friday needing to hole a 44-yard wedge shot for an eagle that would have given him a 59 and tied another tour record. Instead, he hit a low pitch that skidded to a stop 10 feet from the hole and narrowly missed and settled for a 61.

“I came in this morning and obviously didn’t shoot 59 and felt like everyone was disappointed in me,” Day chuckled.

He was kidding, but just barely. Day has won three times – including his first major, the PGA Championship – and is an aggregate 97 under in tournament play since a narrow miss at the British Open in late July.

“I don’t know how else to explain the way I’ve been playing. I feel very free, like there’s no stress. There’s obviously stress,” Day added a moment later, “but I’m enjoying it.”

After shooting 32 on the front nine to start the second round, the Aussie strung together four birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back, then capped it off with an 43-foot putt for eagle at No. 18. But he was far from the only golfer on a roll.

With little wind and receptive greens and fairways, the field averaged 3-under 68 and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy said even that seemed generous.

Citing the conditions, the length of Conway Farms (it played at 6,892 yards Friday) and the number of par-4 holes reachable with a driver, “the par for us out here should be 67 or 66,” added McIlroy, who shot 65 and called it only “a decent score.”

Berger, too, might have done better if not for a lost ball at No. 14, which led to his only bogey of the day.

“We had plenty of people definitely helping us look, probably 25 people” Berger said. “At one point, I offered the crowd $500 if they could find. Seriously, I did.

“We probably found 20 balls,” he added ruefully.

Like Day and Spieth and three other players, Todd made eagle at the 556-yard, par-5 18th. Todd holed a wedge from 81 yards, but didn’t stick around long to celebrate. His wife flew in earlier in the day, but because Todd forgot to add her name to the reservation, she wound up watching the round in the hotel bar.

“She told me `good playing,’ so I assume she caught a little bit,” he said. “They don’t like to show me on TV, but I think they probably showed that one on 18.”

Day’s finish there definitely made it onto the screen. Considering the way he’s playing, no one in the golf world dares take their eyes off him.

He said as a youngster he wanted to dominate the game like Tiger Woods and after the second round, the inevitable question followed: “Are you heading in that direction now?”

“I hope so. That would be nice,” Day said, but caught himself soon after and added, “But he’s won 79 times and I’ve only won six. But it’s something I can shoot for.”

David Hearn posted a 2-under 69 on the day to move to T56.

Although they don’t realize it, the players at next week’s World Junior Girls Golf Championship have much in common with the golf course they are competing on.

They are all teenagers, have impressive tournament histories and—as all teens can be—at times unpredictable, capricious and challenging.

The Marshes Golf Club, located in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, opened in 2002. It holds the distinction of being the last design collaboration between the late Robert Trent Jones and his elder son, Robert Trent Jones Jr. Also of note is that the layout features six par-3s, six par-4s and six par-5s.

As far as tournament history, The Marshes has played host to the Canadian Women’s Tour and five PGA of Canada Senior Championships, plus many top pro and amateur events. Its championship pedigree comes as no surprise as, in addition to its prestigious designers, its owner knows a thing or two about major events. Sir Terry Matthews was born in Wales and moved to Ottawa where he became a high-tech billionaire. His love of golf led him to buy Celtic Manor in his native Wales in 1980 and build two golf courses, one of which was the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

When Matthews developed The Marshes, the goal was to attract public and corporate clients who wanted a high-end golf experience. More about the course shortly, but that experience is enhanced by the glitzy Brookstreet Hotel which overlooks the eighth tee. The CAA/AAA Four Diamond hotel offers not only a great view but outstanding accommodations and cuisine plus a spa, pools and just about every other conceivable amenity. It will be home for a week to the competitors in the World Junior Girls Golf Championship.

Back to golf… As you might expect from its name, the course has its share of water. In fact, that unforgiving hazard is present on every hole, says Head Professional Andrew Donaldson.

In addition to water, he says, every hole presents something else, he says. “Teeth. This is a course that challenges you, but the real challenge is to just keep the ball in play. Take what the golf course gives you and you should score well. Try to bite off too much and you will pay the price. Length is not the primary factor here. You have to place the ball where the hole tells you to.”

Nowhere is that more evident than on the par-5 second hole, one of two tough par-5s in the first six holes. Wrapping around a lake for its entire length, it epitomizes Donaldson’s warning. In fact, he says, the first six holes can make or break a round.

Not that the middle holes are any picnic, but a good round can be derailed over the last three holes, Donaldson says. The 16^th is a par-5 with a stream that cuts across the fairway before meandering up to the left side of the green. The 17^th is a well-bunkered par-3 and the finishing par-4 presents a fairway bunker off the tee and then wetlands that threaten the second shot.

“Unless they are playing very well and very carefully, just about every player will lose a ball during their round,” says Donaldson. “But they are really good players so it should be exciting to watch them tackle the challenge.”

Donaldson and his wife had a baby girl just prior to the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, so he may have an extra interest in this tournament at his home course. He calls the event “an investment in the future” and “good for the game” and he couldn’t be more accurate.

In addition to the four competition rounds which run Tuesday, Sept. 22, through Friday, Sept. 25, there will be a coaching symposium and a skills clinic on Sunday, Sept. 20, and a junior-amateur fundraiser on Monday, Sept. 21. Not only will the championship identify the best under-19 female golfers in the world, but it is intended to raise the profile of the game among that age group and encourage more young women to take up golf.

To learn more about the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, visit www.worldjuniorgirls.com. For more on The Marshes Golf Club, go to www.marshesgolfclub.com.

ST. LEON-ROT, Germany – Carlota Ciganda ended a long first day in the Solheim Cup with the best shot – giving Europe another big boost in an already strong opening session.

The Spanish player holed out for eagle from 135 yards with a 9-iron on the par-4 17th hole Friday to pull her and English partner Melissa Reid even with Americans Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson in the fourball match. Play was suspended because of darkness after the shot, with Europe leading the event 4-2.

“I hit it really good and I’m so happy to help the team,” Ciganda said. “There’s still one hole to play, so there is nothing yet but I hope we can add a point.”

Kerr and Thompson took a 2-up lead with birdies on Nos. 13 and 14, but Reid won the par-5 16th with a birdie and Ciganda tied it with her eagle.

“They fought on the back nine to get a few holes going their way,” Thompson said. “But we’ll come back tomorrow early to finish our last hole. We’re pumped. We’re going to be ready.”

In the other suspended match at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club, German pair Sandra Gal and Caroline Masson were 1 up through 15 holes against Gerina Piller and Brittany Lang. Play was suspended earlier for 55 minutes because of the risk of thunderstorms.

“Very crazy,” U.S. captain Juli Inkster said. “We got smoked the first two matches. And we’re looking pretty good in that third match, and then Melissa makes a good putt on 16 and we miss ours. And then Carlota holes it out on 17. That’s the beauty of match play. It’s the beauty of golf.”

England’s Charley Hull won two matches, teaming with fellow English player Melissa Reid to beat Michelle Wie and Brittany Lincicome 2 and 1 in the morning foursomes, and joining France’s Gwladys Nocera for a 3-and-2 victory over Alison Lee and Angela Stanford in fourball.

The 19-year-old Hull had five consecutive birdies in the afternoon match.

“I felt I played great all day, I rolled a couple in, so it was great,” said Hull, 4-1 in two appearances in the event. “I’m just buzzing for tomorrow.”

The 20-year-old Lee, the only rookie on either team, recovered from a stomach bug to play.

“I didn’t feel good to practice at all yesterday or the day before.” Lee said. “I woke up this morning and I felt brand new.”

In the other afternoon match, Swedes Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist topped Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel 4 and 3.

The teams split the morning matches. Creamer and Pressel beat Nordqvist and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen 2 and 1, Kerr and Thompson topped France’s Karine Icher and Spain’s Azahara Munoz 3 and 2, and Gal and Scotland’s Catriona Matthew beat Stacy Lewis and Lizette Salas 3 and 2.

“I didn’t feel that me and Suzann played all that bad this morning. We just couldn’t really make any putts,” Nordqvist said. “So I was actually surprised she was sitting out this afternoon.”

Nordqvist rebounded to birdie seven of the first 13 holes in the afternoon match.

Europe has won the last two events – in 2011 at Killeen Castle in Ireland and 2013 at Colorado Golf Club – to cut the Americans’ series lead to 8-5.

“It was a good day for us but there’s a long way to go,” European captain Carin Koch said. “They were all so confident and comfortable on the course. I told them last night to just go out and enjoy the crowds and enjoy the fans and the stage they’re on this week. And I think they all did that. It looked like they were having a lot of fun all day, really. I couldn’t be more pleased with them.”

After another day of four morning foursomes matches and four afternoon fourball matches, the event will end Sunday with 12 singles matches.

MONZA, Italy – Lucas Bjerregaard of Finland and Jens Fahrbring of Sweden shared a two-shot lead Friday after the second round of the Italian Open at Golf Club Milano.

Fahrbring had nine birdies in his 8-under 64 to leave him at 13-under 131 at the halfway stage. He dropped a shot on the 13th, but birdied three of the next five holes.

“I am quite surprised where I am because I was not well at the start of this week,” said Fahrbring, who has never been top at a European Tour event. “Today was a little better in terms of how I felt, and perhaps being unwell helped calm me down and lowered my expectations.”

Bjerregaard made just two birdies in his opening nine but an eagle on the first spurred him to a 7-under 65.

“I didn’t play as well as I did yesterday, especially off the tee but I made some good par saves,” Bjerregaard said.

Overnight leader Nicolas Colsaerts got off to a blistering start on Thursday, posting eight straight birdies for a 63, but the Belgian dropped two shots in the opening five holes Friday and finished the round with a 70.

Colsaerts was two shots off the lead, along with Spain’s Pedro Oriol, Frenchman Romain Wattel and Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay.

Former top-ranked Martin Kaymer was tied on seventh, three shots off the lead, after more than making up for a bogey on the 12th with an eagle and five birdies for a 6-under 66.

Kaymer called his round “strange”, saying he had fewer chances “but I shot a better score.”

In October 1992, two Canadian sports reporters made a pilgrimage to Ballybunion Golf Club in County Kerry, Ireland.

They were paired with the local 70-something postmaster named Des. When Des discovered his new friends were Canadian, he asked, “Tell me about Norman. What kind of guy is he?”

“You mean Greg Norman,” said one reporter, thinking that was whom Des meant, considering the Great White Shark had won his second Canadian Open at Glen Abbey a few weeks earlier.

“No, Moe Norman,” Des replied.

Moe Norman never had been to Ireland. But Des the Postmaster knew about the legendary Canadian golfer.

Every clubhouse in North America has a favorite story about the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer. And even though he passed away 11 years ago this month, his legend stretches worldwide.

It certainly has extended to Eastern Canada, where David Carver sat around the family dinner table one night 17 years ago and listened to his father and brother go back and forth with stories they had heard about Norman.

David Carver wasn’t into golf, but he certainly knew a good story when he heard one. He already was a successful concert promoter, but after listening to so many Norman tales, Carver was inspired to make a film.

Carver has 25-plus years in the concert business. He has worked with massive acts like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, Aerosmith, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, ZZ Top and Bob Dylan.

In what Carver describes as the first of many “the universe unfolding as it ought,” he had just completed a tour with Dylan and was in L.A. visiting with songwriter’s agent, sharing some of the Moe Norman stories he had heard.

Carver asked the agent if he had any connections in the film division that could help him with his Moe Norman project. The agent asked for something in writing so Carver cobbled together a synopsis on the Norman story.

“It was like somebody or something else channeled through me to write the four-page outline,” Carver said.

The agent forwarded the outline and a note came back from Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson: (1) Hire an entertainment lawyer; (2) That it was a great story; and (3) Obtain permission from the Norman family.

The problem was another writer already had purchased the movie rights to Norman’s story, but over the years was unable to put a screenplay into production.  Eventually the rights expired and Carver’s 17 years of tenacity were about to pay off.  He was back in the proverbial picture.

Carver has hired a writing team and hopes to have a rough draft of a screenplay in his hand by the end of December. Production on Moe’s story could commence in the spring.

“I know what people are thinking, ‘here we go again,’” said Gus Maue, a close friend of Norman’s and along with Ernie Hauser and others are the executors of Norman’s estate. “But I feel pretty confident with David we’ve got to a point where it’s going to happen.”

Carver remarked that he could not have put the film idea together without the help and storytelling ability of Maue, Hauser, Norman’s twin sister Marie Kelly and his brother Richard.

“More than 25 people have called me or wrote me stories about Moe,” Carver said. “This will be a story about more than golf.  There are elements of redemption, vindication, triumph over adversity and the capacity of an individual to grow and change as a person, and in the case of Moe, cause those around him to grow and change. Moe lived much of his life swimming upstream. I think that’s a feeling that resonates with most of us at one point or another.“

Moe was born on July 10, 1929 in Kitchener and passed away at age 75. He and his twin sister Marie were the second and third in a family of six children. His father Irwin was a furniture factory upholster.

Moe fell in love with sports at an early age. He was a .610 softball hitter and an accurate, hard shot in hockey. He was introduced to golf as a caddy at age 11.

He had little interest in school, except math, and was expelled in Grade 9 for skipping school to caddy or play golf.

Those close to Norman believe he had a form of autism that stemmed from a toboggan accident when as a child. He battled an inferiority complex that ran as deep as the famed Principal’s Nose bunker at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Unfortunately, the eccentric golfing genius often was judged by his peculiar mannerisms and appearance – a 5-foot-8 Popeye-like figure who wore turtlenecks on steamy summer days and flashy pants that always were an inch too short – rather than his ability.

Some talents like Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Paul Azinger love to laud Norman’s ball-striking ability. But Norman never felt he fit in until later in life when he exhibited a desire to better relate to others and discuss more openly about the lessons he learned.

“It’s never been an easy road for me, old Moe Norman,” he once told me. “But the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do in life was to be the best ball striker in the world, to do something that other people wished they could do.

“I still go to bed every night wondering how many times people mentioned my name during the day.”

If Carver had his way, because of his feature film, more people will mention the name, Moe Norman.