Tom Watson rolls back years and looks to the future at the Open
• American wows Hoylake crowds at the age of 64
• Five-times champion disappointed with round of 75
Tom Watson put it quite simply when asked about the secret to performing at the top level at the age of 64. “Good genes and a lot of walking,” was the response from a man whose mere appearance on the links of Royal Liverpool over the weekend is an impressive feat in itself, returning to the tournament he loves the most and breaking his own record by becoming the oldest player to make the Open cut yet again.
Watson carded a three-over-par 75 on Saturday to sit five over for the week, but the crowds gathered and rooted for the five-times champion even as he struggled in the damp conditions. In his 37th appearance at the Open he made the cut on Friday, as he did a few miles up the north-west coast as a 62-year-old at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2012. While there may never be another title challenge akin to Turnberry five years ago – when he cruelly lost in a four-hole play-off to Stewart Cink – his presence is a major boost for the championship.
One of the more remarkable statistics of this year’s championship emerged during the opening two rounds. The combined age of the group containing Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama was, at 67, only three years greater than Watson alone. Yet while the current leaderboard is dominated by young guns, Watson is a reminder that experience and know-how are commodities invaluable in the game, especially where links golf is concerned.
He has missed only five Open cuts since turning 50, yet there was only humility when he responded to questions about the lack of over-60s able to stay in touch with the younger generation. “Mom and dad gave me good genes. I keep on saying that, but that’s true,” he said.
“When you walk six miles a day, I mean you’re in good nick, and people forget that. I’ve walked 36 miles this week, that’s a lot of walking. That keeps you in pretty darn good shape, walking 36 miles a week.
“There will be [more over 60s playing] in the future, don’t worry about that. People are keeping themselves in good shape. If you don’t get injured and you don’t have that injury that really prevents you from making a good golf swing, then you can play a long time.
“Look at Sam Snead. I marvelled at Sam’s swing. He was a phenomenon, he could hit the ball a long way until he was 75 years old. He could hit it a long way, he lost it just after he turned 75.”
If Snead’s wonderful career is a marker, then Watson may have ambitions to play at the top level for another 10 years. There were glimpses of his deft touch throughout Saturday’s round, even if the overriding emotion at the end of it all was disappointment.
“The golf course is there for the taking and I gave it away,” he said. “I hit it out of bounds once, I hit it in the really thick rough one time and couldn’t move it and made a double there. So I gave up four shots with a couple of bad shots and ended up shooting three over par.
“With no wind out there and soft conditions it was a golf course you could shoot – you should have been going low. I went the other direction. It was a disappointment. [The crowds] were very kind and generous with their applause today, I’m disappointed that I didn’t show them anything.”
If there is one thing that may have been a minor irritation to Watson this week it is the myriad questions he has faced regarding the form of Tiger Woods, whose place in America’s Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles in September has been the subject of scrutiny. “I just said hello to him,” was Watson’s response when asked if had spoken to Woods
Tom Watson rolls back years and looks to the future at the Open
• American wows Hoylake crowds at the age of 64
• Five-times champion disappointed with round of 75
Tom Watson put it quite simply when asked about the secret to performing at the top level at the age of 64. “Good genes and a lot of walking,” was the response from a man whose mere appearance on the links of Royal Liverpool over the weekend is an impressive feat in itself, returning to the tournament he loves the most and breaking his own record by becoming the oldest player to make the Open cut yet again.
Watson carded a three-over-par 75 on Saturday to sit five over for the week, but the crowds gathered and rooted for the five-times champion even as he struggled in the damp conditions. In his 37th appearance at the Open he made the cut on Friday, as he did a few miles up the north-west coast as a 62-year-old at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2012. While there may never be another title challenge akin to Turnberry five years ago – when he cruelly lost in a four-hole play-off to Stewart Cink – his presence is a major boost for the championship.
One of the more remarkable statistics of this year’s championship emerged during the opening two rounds. The combined age of the group containing Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama was, at 67, only three years greater than Watson alone. Yet while the current leaderboard is dominated by young guns, Watson is a reminder that experience and know-how are commodities invaluable in the game, especially where links golf is concerned.
He has missed only five Open cuts since turning 50, yet there was only humility when he responded to questions about the lack of over-60s able to stay in touch with the younger generation. “Mom and dad gave me good genes. I keep on saying that, but that’s true,” he said.
“When you walk six miles a day, I mean you’re in good nick, and people forget that. I’ve walked 36 miles this week, that’s a lot of walking. That keeps you in pretty darn good shape, walking 36 miles a week.
“There will be [more over 60s playing] in the future, don’t worry about that. People are keeping themselves in good shape. If you don’t get injured and you don’t have that injury that really prevents you from making a good golf swing, then you can play a long time.
“Look at Sam Snead. I marvelled at Sam’s swing. He was a phenomenon, he could hit the ball a long way until he was 75 years old. He could hit it a long way, he lost it just after he turned 75.”
If Snead’s wonderful career is a marker, then Watson may have ambitions to play at the top level for another 10 years. There were glimpses of his deft touch throughout Saturday’s round, even if the overriding emotion at the end of it all was disappointment.
“The golf course is there for the taking and I gave it away,” he said. “I hit it out of bounds once, I hit it in the really thick rough one time and couldn’t move it and made a double there. So I gave up four shots with a couple of bad shots and ended up shooting three over par.
“With no wind out there and soft conditions it was a golf course you could shoot – you should have been going low. I went the other direction. It was a disappointment. [The crowds] were very kind and generous with their applause today, I’m disappointed that I didn’t show them anything.”
If there is one thing that may have been a minor irritation to Watson this week it is the myriad questions he has faced regarding the form of Tiger Woods, whose place in America’s Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles in September has been the subject of scrutiny. “I just said hello to him,” was Watson’s response when asked if had spoken to Woods
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