Greg Norman hospitalised with COVID-19 symptoms

Australian golf great Greg Norman has been hospitalised in the US with COVID-19.

The two-time major champion took to social media on Christmas Day to share photographs of himself in lying in a hospital bed and wearing a mask.

“This sums it all up,” wrote the 65-year-old. “My Christmas Day. On behalf of millions, f•#k CoVid. Get this s@#t behind us never to experience it again.”

Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, as well as Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman, are amongst those to have sent Norman their best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

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On Christmas Eve, Norman posted a video on social media revealing that, although he had tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday, he was exhibiting “mild symptoms” of the condition. He added that he felt “very flu-like, with a mild fever, a cough, aches and pains and a mild headache”.

Clearly, since uploading that video, his symptoms would appear to have worsened, causing him to require further medical treatment.

Norman’s most recent competitive appearance on the golf course came just last weekend when he played in the PNC Championship in Orlando with his son, also Greg.

Norman Jnr revealed in a post on his own social media accounts that he, too, is self-isolating at home with his wife, Michelle, after they both tested positive for COVID-19.

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Norman, who spent more than 300 weeks at No.1 on the Official World Golf Ranking at the height of his career, is one of a number of professional golfers to have been affected by the disease.

In September, Norman’s fellow former Open champion, Mark Calcavecchia, revealed that he feared he was going to die after being hospitalised with it. Fortunately, the American has since made a full recovery but, in a piece for PGATour.com, he said: “I was upset and shaking, had a lot of emotions going on. I was crying.”