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Tom Watson


Tcali

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Who would've thunk that the TW not named Tiger would be the one in contention, and the other guy would be packing his bags and heading home early?

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Chasing the Claret Jug like it's filled with whiskey. Go get 'em, Tommy. Hopefully your liver can hang in there a couple more, ahem, rounds.

 

Is he supposed to be a drunk, I take it?

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He is thinking it is 1977 again.

 

In '77 Tom and Jack played the greatest two

head to head rounds in British Open Championship.

IMHO anyways

yes....Tom just into his prime and Jack still there...ages 27 and 37. Tiger doesnt have a rival like that.

Watson at some point got the yips..He was primed to be the next Jack.

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Is he supposed to be a drunk, I take it?

 

As far as I know, he's recovered. But his exploits in the '70s and '80s are legendary on tour. I believe he quit around '98 or so after his longtime wife filed for divorce. You gotta pull for this guy. What an amazing story it would be.

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I think I'm going to answer my own question, but what would be bigger Watson or John Daly winning the open? I'm going to say if Watson won it would be one of the biggest sports stories in the last 25 years.

Bigger than Nicklaus winning the '86 Masters, and they're still talking about that 23 years later. Nicklaus was 46, a mere pup compared to Watson.

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I guess courses over there don't reward distance as much as accuracy. Kind of a equalizer.

 

Links style courses reward course management, not distance. To a lesser degree they reward accuracy. So many crappy courses in the US are all about using the driver off the tee. Not the case on a links course.

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I think it is just that past champions don't automatically qualify after 60. You can qualify at any age if you meet different criteria (e.g., 10 ten in British Open the previous year, major winner in previous 5 years, certain world rankings or money list rankings, etc.).

 

From the AP's Tim Dahlberg:

There will surely be plenty of tears Sunday if Watson manages to pull this one off. There will also be plenty of cheers from a Scottish crowd that has urged Watson on every step of the way.

 

They love him not only because he has won this Open five times, but because he truly appreciates links golf and everything that goes with it. Watson's career was made on their soil, and they feel a kinship with him.

 

Before Saturday, Watson figured that relationship would have to be celebrated long distance. The Royal & Ancient has a rule that players can't compete past age 60, and Watson was reconciled to the fact next year's Open would be his last.

 

But the guardians of golf in Britain apparently had an epiphany. They declared late Saturday that if Watson wins he will have a 10-year champion's exemption and can play until he's 69.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2009-0...554907385_x.htm

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