CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio — When Hughes Norton walked into the family home of Tiger Woods, who was then 13 years old, he knew he was looking at generational talent.
"I thought he was unprecedented," Norton reflected. "He won three U.S. Junior Amateurs in a row and three U.S. Amateurs, which no one in the history of golf had ever done. Here's a little 5’5", 120-pound kid who wandered in the house while I was talking to his parents in September of 1989, said, 'Hi,' showed me all the trophies he won, and as we walked back into the living room, he said, 'Goodbye,' and got on his bike and rode down the street."
While hitting a bucket of balls at The Golf Dome in Chagrin Falls, Norton reflected on his career as a sports agent at IMG and representing golfers such as Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and Mark O'Meara. Founded in Cleveland, IMG would grow to be one of the largest sports agencies in the world, and Norton served as head of the golf division.
"It all began here," he said. "Historically, it’s being forgotten, and it shouldn’t. It’s a big deal. When I started in the early 1970s, golf was a mom-and-pop operation compared to what it’s grown into now, with billions at stake."
Norton was by Tiger’s side as he turned pro and earned major endorsements, even winning his first Masters in 1997.
"The most competitive guy I ever met," Norton said of Tiger Woods.
As quickly as Tiger’s career exploded, Hughes Norton's career imploded, being abruptly fired by Woods in 1998 in a phone call that he writes about in his new book Rainmaker:
Hughes: "Hey, Tiger, what's up?"
Tiger (voice emotionless): "I've decided to make a change. I no longer want you as my agent."
Hughes: "What... Why?"
Tiger: "I don't want to go into it."
More than 25 years later, Norton still calls Northeast Ohio home. He doesn’t quite know why Tiger Woods fired him and doesn’t expect an explanation.
"He’d never do it," Norton said. "He’s fired all these people in a row and just cuts them off. [But I'd love to ask him] From the heart, what happened?"
Norton said watching the PGA Tour he helped grow is no longer the same as more players splinter off to LIV Golf, which is run by his former client Greg Norman.
"It’s disturbing, and it worries me," he said. "You have the top players in the world only convening four times a year. The top guys want to compete against the other top guys, and it’s not happening."
In the book, Norton reflects on how an early idea for a rival golf league marinated inside the Cleveland offices of IMG as early as the 1960s. Back then, Norton's boss at IMG hoped to feature some of the best golfers: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. He said those same players shut down the idea.
As for his former top client, Norton said he still roots for greatness.
"I learned early on, don’t ever underestimate Tiger."
Norton's memoir Rainmaker is available beginning March 26.
Clay LePard is a special projects reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard or on Facebook Clay LePard News 5.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
