The Open Championship came so close to a dream story in 2009 when then 59-year-old Tom Watson threatened to win his sixth Claret Jug in incredible fashion at an enthralled Turnberry.
Watson shot a five-under par 65 in the opening round, and over the next 54 holes, proved just about every Open Championship Betting hack wrong as he continued to battle it out with the cream of the golfing world before going down in agonising fashion.
The Missouri maestro had been a regular winner on the Champions Tour until 2008 but had not been playing all that well until arriving at Turnberry, making his return to form all the more surprising.
Had there been a par instead of a bogey at the final hole of regulation play, Watson would have put up the best performance in Major championship history, not just in The Open, but sadly after a fine drive he missed the green with his approach and then edgily failed from eight feet to hand Stewart Cink the chance of a playoff.
Sadly, at least for Watson’s followers, there would be no dream ending as Cink played well over the extra four holes and the veteran fell apart to lose by six strokes in what had been anticipated as possibly his final Open.
But now Watson will be back at St Andrews, not just based on his 2009 performance which would have been good enough to earn him a place anyway.
The R&A, which controls entries to the tournament, based on Watson’s run to second and Greg Norman’s efforts back in 2008, when he finished tied for third after leading into the final round, made a change to their rules to help out former champions.
Until 2009, the criteria for former champions meant that their lifetime exemptions expired when they reached 59, but now if any of them manages to reach the top 10 gets an additional five years of playing privileges.
Of course it is going to be tough according to Golf Betting experts for either of them to repeat their feats, but it will be fantastic to see them tee off at the first hole in July at the home of golf – St Andrews would be a far less interesting place without these undoubted legends of the game.
Filed under: Golf Tagged: | Golf, Open Championship, Tom Watson
