MySports Today

Tom Watson almost pulled off the unthinkable – a major championship win at the British Open – at the age of 59!  Had Watson sank his 8-foot par putt on the 18th hole on Sunday afternoon, or not crapped in his pants in the 4-hole playoff, Watson would have become the oldest player to win a major championship.  Instead, Watson was tentative on the par putt and it came up short, pushing him back into a tie with Stewart Cink.  Cink himself made a birdie on 18 to get to -2 and put some extra pressure on Watson for the 18th hole. And it worked.

After shooting a 65 and 70 on the 1st two days of the tournament (-5, E), Watson “struggled” in his final 2 rounds – 71 and 72 (+1, +2) to finish the tournament at 2 under par.  Cink, on the other hand opened strong with a 66 (-4) on Friday and finished strong with a 69 (-1) on Sunday, after playing mediocre golf during the middle 2 rounds (72 and 71, +3 combined).

The playoff was ugly – Cink took a 1 shot lead after the 1st playoff hole when watson made bogey.  On the 2nd playoff hole, Watson took a double bogey, while Cink birdied, and just like that, Cink had a commanding 4-shot lead.  Cink went on to win the playoff by 6 shots – game over.

How did Watson feel about the loss – “The old fogey almost did it…It would have been a hell of a story.  It wasn’t meant to be.  And, yes, it’s a great disappointment.  It tears at your gut, as it always has torn at my guut.  It’s not easy to take.”

Sorry Tom – you played great, but couldn’t close it out.  We wish you all the best at the Senior British Open this coming weekend – hang in there and get some rest these next few days!