Former Australian golfer Greg Norman has been hospitalised with coronavirus.

Norman, who won two Open Championships in 1986 and 1993, said in a post on Instagram on Christmas Day that he had been diagnosed with Covid-19.

Alongside a photo of himself in a hospital bed, the former world number one wrote: “This sums it all up. My Christmas Day. On behalf of millions, f*** CoVid. This get this s*** behind us never to experience it again.”

English golfer Ian Poulter was among those who sent messages to Norman in the wake of the news, wishing the 65-year-old a “speedy recovery”.

Norman, who earned the nickname The Great White Shark, spent more than 300 weeks at the top of the world golf rankings, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.