Watson knocking on door of "major" history
Mike Dudurich
Posted 2009-07-18
Forget about the fact that should he win, Tom Watson would become the oldest major champion in the history of the game …..by 11 years.
Forget that a win Sunday in the 138th British Open would tie him with Harry Vardon for Open titles at 6.
But whatever you do, don’t forget to get up in the morning and get your coffee, slippers and get comfy in the morning.
What develops along the coast of Scotland in this tournament’s final round may well go down in history as one of the most spectacular achievements in the annals of sports.
This 59-year-old, absolutely one of the greatest players in golf’s great history, has a chance to win the oldest trophy in the game. If that doesn’t seem terribly significant, think about this: Watson is nearly as old as his two closest pursuers: 33-year-old Matthew Goggin and 29-year-old Ross Fisher.
"The first day here, yeah, let the old geezer have his day in the sun, you know, 65," Watson, the oldest player to lead a round in a major since World War II, joked with the media. "The second day you said, well, that's okay, that's okay. And then now today you kind of perk up your ears and say, this old geezer might have a chance to win the tournament. I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know one thing. I feel good about what I did today. I feel good about my game plan. And who knows. It might happen."
The old geezer not only has a chance to win, he’ll be the favorite going into the final round. Watson handled the windy conditions Saturday in the third round to shoot a 1-over par 71 and take a 1-stroke edge into Sunday’s play.
He made two birdies in the final three holes – including yet another long (30-footer) on 16 – that allowed him to overcome a wobbly middle of the round and walk up the 18th fairway to the rousing cheers of an appreciative Scottish gallery.
Like everyone else who’s watching this real-life drama unfold, Fisher and Goggin can’t help but shaking their heads in wonderment.
Goggin, who’ll play with Watson in the final group of the day, has had an earlier special moment with Watson. He played with the Kansas City, Mo., native in the 2003 Open at Royal St. George’s in the third round.
"He's such a great player and such a great champion, especially at the British Open," Goggin said. "And it was also shocking just how good he was. I mean, it was ridiculous. I'm thinking, 'He's getting on in years and not playing so much, and he's just smashing it around this golf course. I was really impressed."
And he’ll get a birds-eye view Sunday as to just how impressive.
Goggin hasn’t won in 10 years, and that came on the Nationwide Tour. But he’s obviously played well at Turnberry, where his 69 in the third round was one of only five scores under par.
Fisher also birdied two of his last three holes to finish with a 70, was fifth at the U.S. Open last month. That’s his best finish in a major and someone asked him how he thought he might have reacted if he had been told the only thing between him and the coveted claret jug was a 59-year-old man.
"Probably would have laughed," Fisher said. "I mean, it's incredible."
To add a little further spice for Fisher, his wife is in the final days of labor and he has maintained from the beginning of the week that if he gets a text – his caddie is carrying his cell phone – saying that she has gone into labor, he’ll walk off the course.
That could be very interesting should that message come in the middle of the back nine with Fisher in contention.
Nobody’s laughing now. Golf fans and golfers, especially those from Watson’s heyday, are watching with interest what’s happening at Turnberry, where Watson outdueled Jack Nicklaus in the 1977 “Duel in the Sun.”
A report surfaced that Nicklaus, who rarely watches golf on TV, watched most of the third round in his home in South Florida and had this to say about his long-time rival, "Like everybody else ... I had some tears in my eyes," Nicklaus said. "I just really hope he wins."
It’s difficult not to get caught up in the buzz with Watson’s play to this point. One of the great gentlemen in the game, Watson’s leading after three rounds is a bit different than when 53-year-old Greg Norman led at the same junction a year ago.
Watson possesses much more a controlled game than Norman, who still takes those long, aggressive swings that can get him offline and in trouble quickly. The fact that Watson has won Opens on five previous occasions means he has a wealth experience to draw on regardless of the conditions.
Watson slept on a lead after 54 holes for the 13th time, one short of the most-ever, 14. That mark is held by the other TW, Tiger Woods, who made an unspectacular departure from the proceedings after missing the cut Friday.
The question was posed to Watson if it was any easier trying to win this title without Woods in the field.
"I don't ever get to play Tiger," Watson, who usually plays on the Champions Tour, said with a grin. "So I don't give a damn about Tiger."
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As a sports writer for over 35 years, Mike Dudurich has seen a lot of great things, covered spectacular events, but his passion is, and has been golf.
He recently ended a 29-year career at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and will now be a frequent contributor on GolfGearReview.com.
Mike hosts a weekly golf radio show on 1250 ESPN in Pittsburgh from the beginning of April through the end of August.
The show airs Saturdays from 8-9 a.m. and can be heard online at