The Shark and his third wife Chris Evert have announced that they have separated after being married for just 15 months and questions have been raised as to whether Norman will be able to focus on the task at hand. Remember, this is the woman he married just weeks before very nearly becoming golf’s oldest Major winner at 53 when he led the British Open last year, so it’s hardly surprising that his recent form has been largely credited to the former tennis star. Yet, with Evert no longer in the picture, International fans may be a little worried.

The Presidents Cup wives take on a visible role at the event, and the announcement, which came just days before Norman was due to take up his captaincy, was largely to prevent speculation on Evert’s absence.

Norman is certainly no stranger to scandal and many of you will remember the highly publicised – and rather nasty – divorce from his second wife Laura Andrassy, the mother of his two children, which ended in a settlement that paid her just over $100 million!

The usually steely, ultra-professional Shark, who is disarmingly smooth and business-like, will undoubtedly do his damndest to make sure his love life doesn’t come into play this weekend. “I don't think it will be a distraction,” said Robert Allenby. “That's just not the way Norman is. He's normally very private with his life. I know Norman. Next week his whole focus will be purely on what we have to do as a team and how we have to come together. He'll be right behind us 110 percent.”

So if it’s not a distraction, then it boils down to this: the US are playing on home soil and have a superb record in the event, but the entire International team ply their trade on the US Tour, so they should be comfortable with the set-up. Then there’s one Tiger Woods who has just bagged himself a $10-million bonus, pretty much wrapping up the year for him. Basically, it’s a close one to call.

To be honest, the Mole is rather relieved that he won’t have to watch Evert and Norman kissing and cuddling like teenagers like they did in the SA Open. So let’s hope that Norman can keep his personal problems out of The Presidents Cup and make the Mole a happy Internationals fan come Sunday.