Tiger Woods’ nice gesture helps Tom Watson say goodbye to the Open
Posted by Anthony Stalter (07/17/2010 @ 10:45 am)
Tiger Woods has faced a ton of criticism over the past eight months – and deservedly so. But he also deserves recognition for his gesture at the British Open on Friday night, in which he helped Tom Watson (someone who hasn’t held back in his criticism of Tiger over the past half year) say goodbye to the Open in style.
From Peace FM Online:
One year after his miraculous run at Turnberry, Watson couldn’t summon up the magic once again. With the cut line hovering between 1-over and 2-over, Watson posted a 75 on Friday to fall to 4-over and out of cut contention. He knew it, the crowd knew it, and so Watson’s final holes became a farewell celebration.
With darkness rapidly approaching, Watson stepped to the 18th tee. As you can see by the photo above, the light was quickly fading. It looked as if Watson would have to play his 18th on Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. local time, an awkward, anticlimactic ending not befitting a player of his stature.
And then: respect from an unexpected quarter. Tiger Woods, playing in the group ahead, motioned for Watson’s group to swing away so that Watson could finish on Friday evening, basking in the cheers of the adoring Scotland crowd. Watson and Woods have had their differences of late, with Watson critiquing Woods’ behavior both on and off the course, but on this afternoon, Woods put aside personal differences and let Watson enjoy one last triumphant walk up 18.
As Watson approached the famed Swilcan Bridge, the iconic centerpiece of the Old Course, he stopped to kiss the centuries-old stones. It was a perfect moment, a classic instant that will be replayed every time the Open Championship returns to St. Andrews. He joins Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, to name two recent legends, in taking a touching moment to enjoy one last view from the bridge.
Watson nearly got an eagle on the hole, but settled instead for a birdie. He’s something of a British Open legend, so for him to be able to go out like that was special.
Kudos to Tiger for respecting golf’s history and putting aside his differences with Watson so that Tom could have his moment in the sun (or fleeting darkness).
Stewart Cink wins British Open
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (07/19/2009 @ 7:00 pm)

Along with Lance Armstrong’s recent performance at the Tour de France, 59 year-old Tom Watson’s run toward his sixth British Open championship has been both fun and inspiring. This is the same guy who hasn’t won a major since 1983. Unfortunately, Watson’s legs started to give out in the four-hole playoff and Cink soon prevailed.
Those four holes will rank in the annals of sporting cruelty along with leaving Willie Mays in center field when he could no longer shag a fly ball, letting Joe Namath heave interceptions for the Rams or, worst of all, standing by while the great Ali was pummeled by unworthy hacks like Trevor Berbick.
Throughout this most unforgettable of weeks, he’d remembered the man he used to be, resurrecting the champion who’d won the famous Duel in the Sun on these beautiful acres 32 years ago against the mighty Jack Nicklaus.
When his eight iron hit the 72nd green, immortality was to have become a formality. Two putts to win.
And that’s when Tom Watson lost his nerve. That’s when he betrayed his age and the long years it’s been since he’d been a golfer capable of winning majors.
“The playoff was just one bad shot after another,” Watson said, “I didn’t give (Cink) much competition.”
It was obvious, given the polite but lukewarm reception for Cink, that everyone had really come to see Watson achieve this most impossible of dreams.
The writer of the piece, Robert Lusetich, does a nice job describing the showdown. While it’s a shame Watson didn’t win, a story like this is great for sports.
Watson leads by one stroke at British Open
Posted by Anthony Stalter (07/19/2009 @ 7:00 am)

Heading into the final round of play at Turnberry golf course in Scotland, unexpected contender Tom Watson leads by a stroke at the 2009 British Open.
Watson is turning this British Open into a fairy tale.
Even as he slipped out of the lead Saturday in the testing breeze off the Firth of Clyde, Watson didn’t blink except to hold back the occasional tears. He is close enough to the claret jug to believe he can win again.
A 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th gave him a share of the lead.
Then came a hybrid 2-iron that took a bounce to the left and onto the green, setting up another birdie.
When he walked up the 18th fairway, his name atop the massive yellow leaderboard, Watson had a 1-over 71 for a one-shot lead, leaving him 18 holes away from becoming the oldest major champion in history.
Can this really happen?
Even Watson wasn’t sure early in the week. Now, those doubts have morphed into determination.
“The first day here, ‘Yeah, let the old geezer have his day in the sun,’ ” Watson said. “The second day you said, ‘Well, that’s OK.’ And 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.”
I wonder how many media members in Scotland hit the pavement after Tiger Woods missed the cut on Friday. I couldn’t blame them seeing as how Tiger is usually the headline in any PGA event, but Watson is one hell of a walking story himself.
It’ll be interesting to see if Watson can hang on today and win a major at 59.