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Raymond Luxury-Yacht Interview

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Raymond Luxury-Yacht Interview is a sketch that appears in " It's a Living ," the nineteenth episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus .

Synopsis [ ]

An interviewer ( Michael Palin ) introduces Britain's leading skin specialist Raymond Luxury-Yacht ( Graham Chapman ). However, Raymond says it isn't his name and it is pronounced "Throatwobbler Mangrove". The interviewer refuses to interview him as he is being silly, and Luxury-Yacht accuses him of anti-semitism. The interviewer pulls his fake nose off and tells him to go away.

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Recap / Monty Pythons Flying Circus S 2 E 6

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Title: It's a Living (or: School Prizes)

Original Airdate: 3/11/1970

Guest starring: Rita Davies, Ian Davidson, Stanley Mason

First, the game show It's a Living .

• Accidental Misnaming : Raymond Luxury-Yacht, pronounced "Throatwobbler Mangrove".
• Calvinball : The game show It's a Living : "The rules are very simple: each week we get a large fee; at the end of that week we get another large fee; if there's been no interruption at the end of the year we get a repeat fee which can be added on for tax purposes to the previous year or the following year if there's no new series."
• Either/Or Title : "It's a Living (or: School Prizes)".
• Epic Fail : In the "Election Night Special", Kevin Phillips- Bong of the Slightly Silly Party doesn't receive a single vote, or Pathetic Defeat . Presumably, he even neglected to vote for himself.
• Everything Is Racist : When the interviewer refuses to go on, Raymond Luxury-Yacht accuses him of being anti-Semitic, pointing at his big nose as proof that he's Jewish. The interviewer counters with the fact that it's a fake polystyrene nose.
• Fictional Political Party : In the "Election Night Special" sketch, covering the 1970 UK General Election, all elections are mainly contested by two parties, the Sensible Party and the Silly Party; the Slightly Silly Party and Very Silly Party both vouch candidates in a few districts as well.
• Gag Nose : Raymond Luxury-Yacht sports a ridiculously large, obviously false nose, which the interviewer points out and pulls on. Jethro Q. Walrustitty's agent also wears a false nose, albeit a smaller one.
• Inconsistent Spelling : Raymond Luxury-Yacht insists that his name is spelled "Luxury-Yacht", but pronounced "Throatwobbler Mangrove".
• It's All About Me : When unemployed widower Nigel Watt wants to ask his friend, TV personality Timmy Williams, to help him and his family, Timmy is a bit occupied with greeting acquaintances. And doing an interview. And working with the writer of his autobiography. And getting publicity photos taken. And giving a fan an autograph. And being filmed for a TV documentary. And taking important phone calls. He allows himself a few moments to take note of Nigel's suicide...and how it makes him (Timmy) look in the interview.
• It's Been Done : Mr L F Dibley is a director who keeps making films that other people have already done ( If , 2001: A Space Odyssey , Rear Window ); he claims that they are ripping him off, and that those high budget movies were "rushed out" while his were still at the chemist's (i.e. being developed).
• Marry Them All : The sketch where a rather confused clerk kept misinterpreting his patrons' desires to get married; it ended with five men getting married to each other.
• The Mockbuster : In universe: L.F. Dibley directs terrible, extremely short, 8mm versions of popular films such as If , Midnight Cowboy , 2001: A Space Odyssey , Rear Window , and Finian's Rainbow . He, of course, insists that the famous versions are ripoffs of his own films.
• Motor Mouth : The presenters for "Election Night Special" all speak with great speed, especially Cleese. Just to bring you up to date with a few results, er, that you may have missed. Engelbert Humperdinck has taken Barrow-in-Furness, that's a gain from Ann Haydon-Jones and her husband Pip. Arthur Negus has held Bristols[[Note]]Bristols is cockney rhyming slang for "titties", as in "Bristol Cities"[[/note]]. That's not a result, that's a bit of gossip. Er...Mary Whitehouse has just taken umbrage. Could it be a bit of trouble there. And apparently Wales is not swinging at all. No surprise there. And, er, Monty Python has held the credits. (credits roll)
• Mythology Gag : L F Dibley is a reference to one of the working titles of the programme, Gwen Dibley's Flying Circus .
• No Celebrities Were Harmed : Eric Idle 's character of Timmy Williams was very obviously based on the Python's old boss, David Frost . So much so that, the second Idle appears on stage in character, the audience laughed and applauded.
• Obligatory Earpiece Touch : Parodied in the "Election Night Special" sketch: The commentator holds his hand up to his ear (which does not have a visible earpiece) expecting breaking news, but realizes it's actually a buzzing insect that flew into his ear .
• Overly Long Name : The Very Silly candidate has one. Combined with The Unpronounceable , as various sound effects are included as part of his name.
• Pretentious Pronunciation : "No, it's spelt 'Raymond Luxury-Yacht', but it's pronounced 'Throat-Warbler Mangrove'."
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here : "You are a very silly man, and I'm not going to interview you."
• Take That! : "The Timmy Williams Interview" involves a narcissistic actor named "Timmy Williams", played by Idle, who is constantly distracted in furthering his career from an old friend's desperate pleas for help, to the point where the friend shoots himself and Timmy takes it in stride. This is followed by credits for "The Timmy Williams Show", which - while written "entirely" by Williams - features a list of "contributors" that takes up several seconds, including Ralph Emerson, Burt Ancaster, and Monty Python. This is based largely on the Python's experiences working with David Frost on The Frost Report .
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics : The blob of cancer—uh, "gangrene"—meets a female blob of cancer, which is marked as female by wearing flowers on her head.
• The Topic of Cancer : In an animated segment a prince sees a black spot on his face, but ignores it. Then he dies of cancer. Bowdlerised in later episodes to gangrene, much to Graham Chapman's disgust. Goes back to "cancer" when this sketch is played in the feature-length And Now for Something Completely Different .
• You No Take Candle : The dead Indian reveals that he's Not Quite Dead when he says " Me heap dizzy ."

Video Example(s):

Raymond luxury-yacht.

A man interviews 'leading skin specialist' Raymond Luxury-Yacht, a very silly man who wears a giant polystyrene nose.

Example of: Gag Nose

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11,241--> Report

John Cleese Picks the Most Gut-Busting Monty Python Sketches

Upper-Class Twit of the Year, "The Galaxy Song," and more.

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.

Best known in America for being one of the original members of the Monty Python, Cleese has worked steadily in TV, film, and on stage for decades. When I caught up with him recently in New York, he was wrapping up a long promotional tour in support of his memoir. We talked about the various projects he's actively working on, including the soon-to-be-announced tour of Australia and New Zealand with fellow Python Eric Idle. But then we got down to business: Cleese's all-time favorite Monty Python sketches and clips, in no particular order:

1. Sir Raymond Luxury-Yacht

An underrated classic from the second series of Monty Python's Flying Circus that begins with a request for plastic surgery and ends in a camping trip. "I love the fact that the whole apparent premise turns out to be wrong," says Cleese.

2. The Two Gaolers from Life of Brian

Life Of Brian stands as not just one of the Pythons' best moments ,  but one of the greatest comedies of all time. Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam ("he's wonderful doing grotesques," says Cleese) are able to turn a line about crucifixions into a gag. "Fantastic parts from Idle and Gilliam and a great punch-line."

3. "The Galaxy Song"

Recently a hit for none other then the computer-generated voice of Stephen Hawking, this song and dance number from 1983's The Meaning of Life is one of the great songs in the Pythons' formidable musical catalogue. "My favorite of all Eric's songs. Sweet and full of wonder," says Cleese.

4. Mr. Creosote Exploding

The almost unbearably grotesque Mr. Creosote from Meaning Of Life is one of Monty Pythons' most well loved characters. Cleese agrees: "Terry Jones's finest, over the top skit. Brilliantly directed by him."

5. Brian Telling His Followers He Is Not the Messiah

The late Graham Chapman was the resident leading man within the Monty Python troupe. But he was also wonderful playing hapless characters, conveying an empathy that underscores the message in the dialogue perfectly. More pointedly, Cleese sees the scene as, "a concise summary of organized religion."

6. Upper-Class Twit of the Year

[youtube ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqObJtGrKaA [/youtube]

The Pythons excelled at poking fun at British aristocracy. For Cleese, his contempt is undimmed, if channeled through his humor, and the portion of this classic sketch when the Twits attempt to take the bras off the mannequins "is a fine demonstration of upper-class sexuality."

7. Two Guards Being Given Their Orders in Holy Grail

In a scene from Holy Grail that rivals classic comedy like Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First", it's perhaps most remarkable that Michael Palin's King of Swamp castle doesn't lose it. "It's wonderful," says Cleese. "The camera never moves and Michael, Eric and Graham are perfect performing Michael Palin's script."

8. Scott of the Sahara's Fight with a Lion

Laurence of Arabia ? Hardly. In the Pythons' hands the most sacred Old Hollywood action sequences are the best targets. "A wonderful visual send-up of cheesy TV animal scenes."

9. The Flying Lesson 

Only in Monty Python's Flying Circus would you be asked to "flap harder" at a flying lesson. "Typical Cleese and Chapman sketch, with people arguing heatedly about non-issues," says Cleese.

10. Nelson's Death

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart introduces the "evergreen" death of Admiral Nelson. "Almost as silly as the 'Fish-Slapping Dance,'" says Cleese.

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Monty python: graham chapman's 10 best characters, ranked.

Graham Chapman was always one of the most significant figures in the Monty Python troupe. Here are his 10 best characters, ranked.

Graham Chapman was always one of the most significant figures in the Monty Python troupe. He was the go-to leading man when the team made a narrative movie, because the others deemed him to be the only one among them with the charm and the acting talent – not to mention his comic gifts as a voice of reason – to carry a feature film.

RELATED:  Monty Python: 10 Most Influential Sketches, Ranked

Sadly, Chapman was the first of the Pythons to pass away by quite a few years, but his work has lived on and continued to provide laughs in the decades since. So, here are Graham Chapman’s 10 best characters from the Python back catalogue.

Graham Chapman’s character Helmut adds another layer to the joke in the “Italian Teacher” sketch. Terry Jones plays an Englishman teaching an Italian lesson to a class full of Italian students who are much more fluent in the language than their teacher.

Chapman plays the only non-Italian student in the class – a German student named Helmut – who is terribly confused: “Was is das wort fuer ‘mittelschmerz’?”

Sir Edward Ross

When he appears on an arts and culture show, Sir Edward Ross is referred to as a series of ridiculous nicknames by the interviewer, played by John Cleese. Graham Chapman plays Ross with a pipe, a pompous attitude, and an intellectual aura.

This contrasts hilariously with the increasingly inappropriate pet names that Cleese delivers in his uniquely deadpan style: “sweetie,” “sugar plum,” “pussycat,” “angel-drawers,” “Eddie-baby” etc.

Professor R.J. Gumby

Although Michael Palin would go on to become the best-known Python to play Gumbys, it was Graham Chapman who first played Professor R.J. Gumby. He hits himself in the head while crooning.

This is juxtaposed hysterically with the revelation that Professor Gumby majored in historianism and is, for all intents and purposes, quite intelligent.

In addition to playing the lead role of King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail , Graham Chapman provided the voice of God. In the Pythons’ following film, he’d play a man who was mistaken for the son of God , which ties this together nicely.

RELATED:  Monty Python And The Holy Grail's 10 Funniest Scenes

God only appears briefly in Holy Grail , but it’s a tough role for any actor to play, especially in a satirical way. Despite this, Chapman nailed it.

Raymond Luxury-Yacht

In his first appearance, Raymond Luxury-Yacht is a talk show guest, but his most delightfully absurd appearance is when he goes into a cosmetic surgeon’s office, asks for an operation to have the size of his large nose reduced, and gets invited on a camping vacation with the surgeon.

He looks to the camera and says, “He asked me! He asked me!” Then, the two are seen frolicking through the woods, holding hands, in slow-motion.

Biggus Dickus

In one of Life of Brian ’s most memorable gags, Roman soldiers are laughing at the name of Pontius Pilate’s friend Biggus Dickus, but Pilate can’t understand why the name is so funny .

The gag is followed up later in the movie when Biggus Dickus himself makes an appearance, played by Graham Chapman, and he, too, can’t understand why people keep laughing at his name.

Working-Class Playwright

In a pitch-perfect satire of British kitchen sink dramas, the “Working-Class Playwright” sketch flips the class conventions of contemporary plays on their heads.

Instead of a working-class coal miner father chastising his well-educated son for wanting to be a playwright, a working-class playwright father chastises his well-educated son for wanting to be a coal miner.

The Colonel

Monty Python’s sensibility is unabashedly silly . Graham Chapman often contrasted this comic style by taking the role of the “voice of reason.” The Colonel is the quintessential Chapman character, because he’s a strict military figure who steps in to put a stop to any sketch that he deems to be too silly.

RELATED:  Every Monty Python Film Ranked (According to IMDB)

Anyone acting as the “silliness police” in a Python sketch has a very difficult road ahead, but Chapman always pulled it off brilliantly in the role of the Colonel.

Brian Cohen

Some of Chapman’s best characters were put-upon regular guys. As an ordinary man who was born on the same night as Jesus and then amasses a fervent religious following that he can’t seem to shake, Brian Cohen is the ultimate put-upon regular guy. No matter how much he pleads with his followers that he’s not the Messiah, they continue to call him the Messiah and hang off his every word.

Another hilarious dimension of the Brian character that provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments is his strained relationship with his mother, Mandy, played by Terry Jones in one of his own most memorable performances.

King Arthur

The Pythons decided to use the Arthurian legend as a loose structure to keep Monty Python and the Holy Grail on the right track. This meant that the burden was on Graham Chapman’s lead performance as King Arthur to tie the whole movie together.

Chapman has the charm, relatability, and comic gifts required from a leading man. He mostly adopts the role of “straight man” or “voice of reason” as Arthur (“On second thought, let’s not go to Camelot – ‘tis is a silly place!”), but that’s his forte, so it works spectacularly.

NEXT:  Monty Python: 10 Best Songs From Monty Python’s Flying Circus & The Movies

Monty Python's Flying Circus: John Cleese's Personal Best

Cleese heralds his own death and champions his finest qualities with this best-of set..

The new material on this DVD is just as funny as the old. (I figure that if you're reading this review then you already know the deal, so that's probably your only question.) Recently, A&E has been releasing "best of" collections, each focusing on a separate Python. You probably already know that the entire run time of the selected skits on this disc is roughly an hour (56:38 in this case) and that if you're a big Python fan, or are just looking for the most bang-for-your-buck, you should go with the 16-disc megaset. However, if all you're looking for is a small, selective dose of Python - specifically, John Cleese - then this is your stop.

To tell you the truth, I was just as eager to see the new John Cleese stuff as I was the older stuff. I got a good laugh from the Michael Palin disc that was released a few months back and I was interested to see what the elderly Cleese would bring to the table. Now, this may just be because I've always been a big Cleese fan, but his newly filmed footage really impressed me. If there's ever been any doubt that this man is a comic genius then after watching this disc the court can rest its case. I can't believe that... well, to be perfectly frank, I can't believe that such an old guy can be such a riot.

As soon as you hit "play" you are greeted with the following ominous message: "In memory of Mr. John Cleese, who died recently, we will first show you his favorite fairy tale." When I saw this I immediately put everything on pause and sped on over to imdb.com. How could I have missed this colossal piece of news? How could I not have... then I realized that I'd been had. By the end of the disc you're in on the joke and will enjoy watching it lead to a great pay-off.

The main feature is structured as if John Cleese were being interviewed in the backyard of his lush California estate. We see an elderly, wheelchair-bound Cleese answer questions, but not without going off on hilarious tangents of his own. The curmudgeonly old coot is rude, ornery, and quite senile. Clearly, Cleese is putting us on here and it's great fun watching him in the act.

The interview is broken up with clips from some of his favorite sketches. As I've said above, while the sketches found on here are classics, I couldn't wait to get back to the new material - it was that good. Cleese has a wonderful sense of humor about himself and he milks his old age, and our preconceived notions of old people, every chance that he gets.

When asked how he feels about his good friend and former writing partner, the deceased Python, Graham Chapman, Cleese snarls, "Well, he was a shirtlifter [homosexual], you know. Yes, and a booze-hound. Half the time he was dead-drunk. Then he stopped being drunk and started being dead. Still takes the royalties, that lazy bum. Dying is often a cry for attention, did you know that?"

He also pokes fun at himself and the fact that he's had several wives - he doesn't even know the name of his current wife, but at least she's got "great tits!" Later on when an equally elderly lady rushes to him to check his stuttering heartbeat he knocks her into the pool with his cane. You can tell that the interviewer is constantly on the verge of cracking up. I wasn't so restrained.

These newly-filmed segments take up approximately one quarter of the disc's run-time, with the rest being filled up with classic Python skits. The self-defense lessons (with fruit!) are hilarious, as is the aforementioned introductory skit, where a princess with wooden teeth, and a dead bunny for a pet, must find a suitor.

The idea that there would be an organization whose strict purpose is to "Confuse A Cat" is hysterical. We've also got some of the more obscure humor to enjoy; short little snippets of comedy with brilliant punch-lines. I mean, what do you call a skit with a man - sporting a gigantic plastic nose - named Raymond Luxury Yacht, but whose name is pronounced "Throat-Wobbler Man-Grove"? He's clearly a very silly man (and should not be interviewed).

Unlike the previously-released Michael Palin "personal best" this disc actually features a good number of John Cleese skits. You've even got the punch lines of some of the skits found on the Palin disc: you get the ending to both the fish-slapping dance skit and the cheese shop sketch.

You'll come to this disc for the old skits, but stay for the new material. I have a tremendous amount of admiration for a man who, upon entering his eighth decade of life, still manages to find humor in the world. Edgy, gut-busting humor at that. This isn't Grandpa Joe, this is John Cleese: "When I'm gone, I'd like my friends to say: 'You know, Old Cleesey had his faults, but he did have the most enormous d***.' "

I am in awe of John Cleese. And not because of how funny he used to be, but because of how funny he still is.

Score: 8 out of 10

Both old and new footage is presented in 1.33:1 fullscreen. As with all Monty Python skit DVD releases, you really can't expect too much in terms of video quality. As I'm sure you're already aware the studio-filmed footage is quite decent, with nice clarity and not too much dirt or grain.

However, the outdoor footage is quite blurry, grainy, and faded. While you will notice videotape blips in some of the footage (carried over from the source material), the transfer is free of digital errors. This is probably the best these old skits will ever look, and for what these shows were about - humor - that's good enough.

Score: 5 out of 10

Languages and Audio

The older footage is accompanied by a mono track. It comes through with a moderate level of hiss. Even so, voices, music, and the laughter-track are good enough, and the source material's age doesn't interfere with your enjoyment of it.

The newly-filmed footage is presented in stereo and it sounds fine. As you'd expect from footage of two people talking in a backyard, you don't get too much range, but the side-channels do offer occasional background sounds (chirping birds, etc.,).

There were no subtitles and unless you can speak English you'll, sadly, only be able to enjoy the physical humor.

Packaging and Extras

The single disc comes in a standard, black Amaray DVD case with boxart that follows the general design of the previous releases. Inside you'll find inserts for the 16-ton megaset and a flyer advertising other A&E discs.

Two copies of this disc were sent out for review, one far in advance of the retail date (but without the extras) and sometime later the regular retail edition. The disc I'm reviewing here is the version you can find in stores, but I felt the back of the review copy was too amusing to not share with you good folks:

"Dear Mr./Mrs. Entertainment Journalist,

We asked John Cleese about his favorite Monty Python bits. He hung up on us. Two weeks later we received this in the mail. He apparently recorded some new footage for the program - and he finds it quite funny. We're afraid to watch it. Please let us know if it's any good."

Behind the scenes: A look into the real John Cleese (4:57) takes itself as seriously as the main feature. That is to say, not very seriously at all. This mocking behind the scenes featurette has Cleese speaking on what the two-day shoot of the new material was like and how great it was for him to work with so many young people. It's intercut with footage of the cast and crew badmouthing him - tongue clearly in cheek. It's mildly amusing, but not nearly as funny as the new jokes found in the main feature.

Trivia Game is pretty much what you'd expect. You're given fifteen multiple choice questions and a short clip plays based on whether or not you got the question correct. To its credit, the questions are quite tough; I'm ashamed to admit that I scored a measly 4/15.

Finally there's a John Cleese Biography that has two pages of text describing his career, and a page that serves as a filmography.

Overall you get just enough material to qualify as "extra", but not enough to actually interest anybody. Some sort of "real" retrospective on ol' Cleesey, or anything more informative really, would have helped. I suppose you've got to keep in mind the fact that these releases are meant as Python quick-fixes, and not substantial collectors items.

Score: 4 out of 10

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How Lucy MacLean and Her "Okey Dokeys" Became Fallout's Secret Weapon

Not even Greg Norman’s hysterical hubris can hide LIV’s collapse into periphery

Ringmaster of breakaway circuit that has plunged golf into crisis projects himself as messiah as players from his rebel tour flounder

Greg Norman, a man of such modesty that he once named his £65 million yacht “Aussie Rules”, is never knowingly understated. And so despite his presence at Augusta being about as welcome as lawn fungus, and despite being forced to scrabble for a ticket on the secondary market, the LIV ringmaster still likened his fleeting stop here to a state visit.

Claiming to have been saluted by “hundreds, if not thousands of people”, the Australian reflected on Sunday: “It was humbling, moving and I was taken back by words of encouragement: ‘Thank you for what you have done for golf’, ‘Don’t stop’, ‘Love LIV’, and the one that got to me personally and emotionally, ‘Welcome back’. My right hand is sore from shaking hands with each and every one of you, as well as the hugs given to so many.”

It is this hysterical hubris that has become Norman’s stock in trade. But his bluster has gone into overdrive at this Masters , with his pride wounded by the green jackets’ refusal to grant him an invitation. He discounts all the evidence that he has become this tournament’s persona non grata , instead projecting himself as the game’s messiah.

Except his role in golf has become, to adapt the old Monty Python line, that of the very naughty boy. Augusta do not want him near the place, desperately wishing that he would take his disruptive exhibitionism elsewhere. 

Is there anything to support his boast that the galleries are genuflecting at his feet? Why would they? This is the figure who, with unlimited Saudi Arabian backing, has torn golf apart, tempting the winners of 10 of the past 20 Masters to join him on his flashy rebel tour. He is the reason why the world’s best are only facing off against each other at the majors. It hardly seems a natural cause for gratitude.

Norman’s hyperbole concealed a further inconvenient truth: the fact that so many of his LIV players are finding their form deteriorating. Take Dustin Johnson, who, at the Covid-affected November Masters 3½ years ago, won with a record score of 20 under par. This time he collapsed to 13 over, missing the cut by seven, his temperament for the grandest occasion apparently wrecked by a life spent in lavishly-rewarded semi-retirement.

Rahm wore a hollow expression that looked an awful lot like regret

Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, with 11 major titles between them, did at least squeeze through to the weekend, before fading into competitive irrelevance. Bubba Watson and Charl Schwartzel both made premature exits. By far the most galling experience, though, belonged to Jon Rahm, for whom a year must feel like an aeon. Rewind 12 months and the Spaniard was the toast of his peers for his exceptional composure in winning the Masters at 28. Since then, the opprobrium stirred by his £450 million defection to LIV has taken its toll, with Rahm rounding off a feeble championship defence at four over.

After signing his card, he wore a hollow expression that looked an awful lot like regret. “It’s hard to talk about when I’ve played this badly,” he said. “It’s been nice to have some receptions no matter what my score was, seeing the appreciation. But it’s difficult now to have to stay and put the jacket on somebody else when you’ve never really had a chance.”

What is going on? Are the LIV rebels truly sabotaging themselves by retreating to a schedule of glorified hit-and-giggles, playing in shorts on resort courses whose condition would horrify Augusta’s greenkeepers? This theory holds true in the case of Johnson, a two-time major winner who acts as if he has given up on being a serious contender. 

It applies, too, to Adrian Meronk, the Polish signing who early last year was a shoo-in for the European Ryder Cup side, but who slithered to the margins at his second Masters with rounds of 78 and 80. And to Sergio Garcia, who pitched up in garish canary-yellow trousers but who only lasted 36 holes.

But it does not explain the resilience of Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and latest recruit Tyrrell Hatton, all of whom made their presence felt on the final-round leaderboard. For all its myriad deficiencies, LIV has still assembled a formidable line-up. Plus, the sheer scale of its extravagance continues to wreak havoc, even in a place of Augusta’s opulence.

When the Masters confirmed the prize money purse, with a first prize of £2.9 million, few could have accused them of being parsimonious. And yet even this extraordinary cheque paled against the £3.2 million that South Africa’s Dean Burmester collected for winning last week’s LIV event in Miami. The cash has distorted the traditional calculations to such an extent that the honour of Masters victory attracts no greater payout than next weekend’s PGA Tour event in South Carolina.

This is why Norman is so unpopular at Augusta, and why he is so determined to suggest the opposite. Far from rescuing golf, he has plunged it into a profound crisis, where many of the game’s leading men are squirrelled away on a tour whose TV ratings are pathetically low. 

He came to the Masters hoping to witness a stunning surge by his stars, only to see them fade to the periphery. Full of bombast he might be, Norman, the consummate showman, can hardly be oblivious to the damage he has caused.

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