Is Tom Watson still playing competitive golf?
In July 2019, Watson played his final competitive event on British soil, when he played in the Senior British Open for the final time. Watson is the only golfer to score a round of 67 or less in all 4 majors at least once in 5 different decades.
How did Tom Watson win his first major championship?
With Nelson's guidance on swing mechanics and course management, and determined hard work, Watson's game advanced quickly, and he won his first major championship, the 1975 Open Championship, on his first appearance in the event in Britain. Watson holed a 20-foot putt for a birdie on the 72nd hole to tie Jack Newton.
How did Tom Watson become so popular?
Several of Watson's major victories came at the expense of Jack Nicklaus, the man he replaced as number one, most notably the 1977 Masters, 1977 Open Championship, and the 1982 U.S. Open. Though his rivalry with Nicklaus was intense, their friendly competitiveness served to increase golf's popularity at the time.
How old is Tom Watson now?
Thomas Sturges Watson (born September 4, 1949) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour. In the 1970s and 1980s, Watson was one of the leading golf players in the world, winning eight major championships and heading the PGA Tour money list five times.
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What was Watson's low score in the 1980s?
At the British Open, Watson's low score is a 64 in 1980. 65s were scored in 1977 (twice), 1994 and 2009 (all 65s at the Open were scored at Turnberry). Finally, at the PGA Championship, Watson's low score of the 1970s was a 66 in 1979. In the 1980s he scored a 67 in 1980, 1983, 1985, and 1989.
What year did Tom Watson win the Open?
Watson's 1977 Open Championship victory, at Turnberry in Scotland, was especially memorable, and is considered by many to be the finest tournament played in the second half of the 20th century. After two rounds, he and Jack Nicklaus were one shot out of the lead and paired for the third round.
How long has Tom Watson been in the playoffs?
Watson holds the record for the longest time span between first and last playoffs on the PGA Tour. That time span is 34 years, 6 days.
How many tournaments did Tom Watson win?
He was the leading money winner on the PGA Tour for the fourth consecutive year, winning six tournaments in America. Watson showed tremendous consistency in 1980, with sixteen top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour that year. In August 1980, after his sixth victory of the year in America, Watson said: "I love this game.
How many wins did Tom Watson have in 1978?
Watson had five PGA Tour victories in 1978, but he also had one of the biggest disappointments of his career in that year's PGA Championship in August at Oakmont. Watson had a five-shot lead after 54 holes, but lost the tournament in a 3-way sudden-death playoff to John Mahaffey.
How many championships did Tom Watson win?
Watson won four Missouri State Amateur championships, 1967, 1968, 1970, and 1971. He attended Stanford University, playing on the golf and table tennis teams, joining Alpha Sigma Phi, and graduating with a degree in psychology in 1971.
How tall is Tom Watson?
Standing 5 ft 9 in and weighing 160 pounds during his PGA Tour years, he achieved abundant length with accuracy, played aggressively, developed a superlative short game, and in his prime was a very skilled and confident putter. Watson is renowned as an exceptional bad-weather golfer, having displayed this gritty talent best in the difficult and varied conditions of The Open Championship. At the height of his career, he was well known for his excellent recovery skills, especially around the greens. Years later, if a player escaped from trouble and somehow made par, tour players described the escape as a "Watson par".
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Tom Watson was late for our interview. That’s not his style so he texted me the next morning at 6:14 a.m. to apologize as if it had kept him up half the night.
GW: Were you already dreaming of playing on the PGA Tour?
Tom Watson looks at his trophy after winning the Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday, May 24, 1998, for his 34th PGA Tour victory. (Photo: Eric Gay/Associated Press)
GW: Is there a player today that reminds you a bit of yourself?
Two-time Masters champion Tom Watson gets a fist bump from six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus after sinking a birdie putt during the 2018 Par-3 Contest at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
GW: You may be the best in history at not dwelling on a poor shot, but if there's one shot you wouldn't mind having a do-over on, what would it be?
Tom Watson tips his cap as he walks on the 18th green during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)
GW: What was your reaction to seeing Phil Mickelson win a major this year?
Tom Watson and caddie Bruce Edwards at the 2003 Senior Players Championship at the TPC of Michigan in Dearborn, Michigan. (Photo: Craig Jones/Getty Images)
GW: What is the junior golf scene like in Kansas City today versus when you were growing up?
Tom Watson raises his hands in triumph July 17,1983, after winning the British Open at the Royal Birkdale Course in England. (Photo: Associated Press)
