Some Thoughts on Tom Watson

Boy what a week it was on the Scottish coast at Turnberry. I’ve seen plenty of majors in my life but this one has to rank as one of the most memorable. It’s almost hard to digest what was going on while it was happening, and probably will take some time before we can really look back on it with some perspective.
Tom Watson is one of those guys that has been a sympathetic figure. What happened with his caddy Bruce Edwards was heartbreaking. And to see him play that well at age 59 is…well…unprecedented. The greatest tournament of all time (the ‘86 Masters) was Jack Nicklaus in his 40s making a run. Watson is more than a decade older!
The thing that made him so successful this past week is how he is able to manage a round. He knows exactly what club to hit and where to hit it. You could often see Watson walking up 50 yards in front of his ball to look at what lied ahead on the next shot. How many other players do you think did this?
He also had the right mindset. When he hit a wayward shot or missed a putt, he just shook it off. He said, well that’s over with, and went right on to the next hole. That’s how he was able to stabilize and finish off his rounds well.
So what happened on Sunday? A bunch of players went to the top of the leaderboard only to fall off. And when Tom Watson stood on the 18th tee, he was ahead by 1. He hit a good second shot, only to have it bounce a little too hard. And while it really was heartbreaking to see him miss that putt, it’s hard to fault him for it. Putting was never his strength.
So that left Stewart Cink. It’s a shame Cink was put in the role of villain, because I’ve always liked him. He is a great player who was due for a major win. And Watson just didn’t have enough to sustain him through the playoff.
What makes it such a difficult pill to swallow is you know this was Tom Watson’s last chance: one big chance at a glorious swan song that no one has had before. But I do think years from now we will look at this week and marvel at what the so-called “old geyser” accomplished. Well done Tom.