Man, what could have been…
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 07/23/2009
We almost witnessed one of the greatest victories in the history of golf last week
Many years ago, in the early '80s, I witnessed Tom Watson, the great eight-time Major Champion, play the game of golf. He had beaten Jack Nicklaus by one shot in the Duel in the Sun, the historic victory over Nicklaus in the classic 1977 British Open Championship. Then Watson beat Nicklaus again by chipping in from the rough on the 17th hole of the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
When you beat Nicklaus in a Major, that's big. I got hooked on golf and took up the game because of Tom Watson. It was the way he played smart and tough with a lot of heart. That's the way he played last week at the Open Championship at age 59, leading the big boys for four days.
He shot a 65 on Thursday to grab the attention of the world and take the lead. And he fought like a bulldog for four days, staying at the top of the leader board in the biggest tournament of the year.
Golf in Scotland is a different game. The courses are hard; they are not manicured like the courses in the U.S. The conditions are tough — deep pot bunkers and unpredictable bounces with wind and cold, the type of conditions that separates the men from the boys.
Watson has won the British Open five times more than Nicklaus and Woods. He also has won the U.S Open and the Masters twice.
Make no mistake about one thing: Watson's legacy is secure in golf history as one of the top 10 greatest players of all time, right there with Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.
Had he won last week, he would have tied Palmer, Hogan and Player with nine career Major Championships. Had he won, he would have been the oldest player in history to win a Major by 11 years.
Had he won, it would have been his sixth British Open title, tying Old Tom Morris and Harry Vardon for the most Open titles in history.
If you missed the ending of the tournament last week, Watson had a one-shot lead on the last hole. He only needed par to pull off arguably the greatest victory in the history of golf, a game that has been played for more than 100 years.
From the fairway on the last hole, Watson hit an eight-iron shot that hit the green and ran off over the green. Stewart Cink had previously birdied the 18th hole to get to -2. Watson was at -3; just get up and down, and he wins the Open Championship at age 59, a remarkable, unbelievable achievement.
But Watson failed to get up and down, missing an eight-foot putt, making a bogie and losing the Open Championship to Cink in a four-hole playoff.
What makes Golf so special is the drama, the pure theater of the game. Watson not winning ripped the hearts out of millions of golfers around the world, especially older golfers and fans. People just wanted to see Watson do it again.
Watson did everything but win. He gave it everything he had at age 59 and still came up short. What a story: A 59-year-old legend beats the world's best players, the same week that Tiger missed the cut for only the second time in a Major.
Watson achieved the greatest jump in the World Golf Rankings since 1986. He moved from being ranked 1,374 to 105 in the world. He moved up 1,269 spots because he finished second in the 2009 British Open. He came that close to winning the Claret Jug.
Hopefully the PGA of America will invite Watson to play in the 91st PGA Championship in August here at Hazeltine.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:20 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday & Saturday mornings at 7:50 am and Fridays at 3:50 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-recorder.com , or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com .
