GOLF: Despite being 54 years old and a lowly 216th in the world rankings, Greg Norman still manages to turn heads on the golf course. The Australian's appearance at any tournament still brings a sense of intrigue and fascination to spectators and players alike and his involvement in this week's Johnnie Walker Classic is no exception.

Although there are plenty of younger and higher-ranked players entered in the tournament at The Vines in Western Australia, Norman has commanded most of the attention in the lead up to the event.

The former world number one was feted like a pop star when he arrived in Western Australia to play a charity event to raise funds for the victims of the Australian bushfires, and even his opponents were impressed.

American Anthony Kim, ranked 11th in the world, said Norman's fairytale run at last year's British Open, where he finished third behind Pádraig Harrington, was proof he could still compete at the highest level.

"He's proven himself so many times over and over again," Kim said. "I mean, look at what he did at British Open. I don't think too many people expected him to do that after being away from tournament golf for so long.

"In this game, you can't ever underestimate anybody."

Norman will play alongside Colombia's Camilo Villegas, ranked ninth, and England's Lee Westwood (12th) in tomorrow's opening round of the Johnnie Walker Classic, a tournament tri-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian PGA Tours.

Although Ireland’s three top ranked players Harrington, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell have opted to play in the United States for much of the first part of the season, there’s still a strong Irish contingent competing in Australia this week where Damien McGrane, Peter Lawrie, Gary Murphy and Gareth Maybin are included in the field.

Organisers have scheduled the trio to tee off early in the morning to avoid the worst of the heat, with temperatures expected to reach 36 degrees Celsius.

England's nine-time European Tour winner Paul Casey is also set to tee off in the morning, along with New Zealand's defending champion Mark Brown. Kim is paired with European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie in the afternoon.

"The Johnnie Walker Classic is a tournament I always enjoy, and yet it's one I haven't managed to win," Montgomerie said.

"But it's certainly a title I would like to have on my CV, and I hope this will be the year."

While Norman's performance at the Open in Birkdale last year provided a lasting reminder of his talent, it also revitalised his enthusiasm for the game.

He is assured of a start at the US Masters in April, a tournament that has provided him with some of the most gut-wrenching moments in his career.

He cannot wait to get back to Augusta.

"I've had some great experiences there and I've had some bad experiences there, but at the same time I think it all neutralises over my whole career there," Norman said.

"That's why I don't really need to be like a 21-year-old or an 18-year-old thinking about it months and months and months in advance.

"To be honest with you my goal there, if I could get through to the weekend, that would be a good goal to make.

"I'm looking forward to going back. I'm looking forward to seeing the golf course, seeing a lot of my friends who are members there."