Hat's Off to you Tom!

I meant to blog about this last weekend, but I didn't get to it. At 59 years of age, Tom Watson nearly became the oldest winner of a golfing major this past weekend at the Open Championship (British Open). Sadly, his nerves got to him on the last hole and he missed an 8 foot par putt, sending him to a playoff against Stewart Cink, who eventually won the 4 hole playoff, leaving Watson alone in 2nd. Stewart Cink is a great player who was long overdue for a win like this, but make no mistake, this will be remembered as Watson's Open.

Watson, an 8 time major winner and 5 time Open Championship winner, last won on the PGA Tour 11 years ago. He has been playing the Champions Tour for the last 9 years, and has had some success, though not as much as one would expect for someone of his stature in the game. Watson was always Jack Nicklaus' greatest foil in the late 70's and early 80's. Watson's greatness was cut short when he lost his putting stroke in the mid 80's. He regained it somewhat in the mid 90's, but was never the same. It was that same putting stroke that let him down last Sunday.

I've always admired Tom Watson as a golfer, and later as a man when I read "Caddy for Life" by John Feinstein. To see him win would have been unbelievable. And maybe that's why it didn't happen...59 year old men don't win majors...that would have been too unbelievable. The oldest player to ever win a major was 48 years old. But, it was a great weekend of golf, and a great accomplishment for someone who seems like a genuinely good person. So, hat's off to Tom Watson. If there's any justice in this world, he'll win the Senior Open Championship this weekend.