Norman 'locks his wife out of house'

By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles – 16 August 2007

The estranged wife of golfing great Greg Norman has accused him of cutting off her access to money and changing the locks on their luxury Florida home, turning what appeared at first to be an amicable divorce into a growing legal battle.

Laura Norman filed papers in the Florida courts accusing her ex of trying to coerce her into signing a divorce agreement on his terms by starving her out. "She now has no means of support," her lawyers wrote in a legal briefing.

Greg Norman's lawyers denied the accusations. "During the course of this case, Mrs. Norman has been exceedingly well-funded and her lifestyle has not been compromised one iota," lawyer Martin Haines said.

The Australian golfer, nicknamed the Great White Shark, has been separated from Laura for a year, following a 25-year union.