Two-time British Open champion Greg Norman is expected to make a "full and speedy recovery" after he almost cut off his left hand with a chainsaw.

The 59-year-old golfer admitted that he was "lucky" to be relatively in tact after he injured himself while working in the garden of his home in Florida.

The Australian was treated in hospital, but has since returned home to rest and recover after suffering minor nerve damage.

A statement on Norman's official website said: "The doctors expect him to have a full, speedy recovery and to be playing golf and attacking life shortly.

"Norman was spending the afternoon cleaning up some trees in his backyard on Jupiter Island, Florida when a large branch unexpectedly started to come down on him.

"Attempting to catch the branch, Norman dropped the chainsaw. The weight of the branch brought Norman's arm down upon the saw that was thankfully slowing."

During his career, Norman sat at the top of the world rankings for 331 weeks in the 1980s and 1990s.