Tom Watson might be 63. But he is still upbeat about keeping Father Time at bay and producing another inspirational performance at The Open at Muirfield next month.
It is four years since Watson almost pulled off the impossible at Turnberry. The man from Missouri showed how fiercely the competitive flame was still burning by almost lifting his sixth Claret Jug 26 years after his last Major win at Birkdale.
He was at Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial tournament in Ohio over the past few days as one of the event’s honourees, and was upbeat about his game after an even-par performance in last week’s US Senior PGA Championship.
“It had been pretty inconsistent up until last week, but it has started to come together again,” Watson reflected. “Obviously with some injuries and health issues, I haven’t played that much, so putting a good consistent tournament together has been difficult. But I’ve got the Watson Challenge in Kansas City next week, and then I have five weeks in a row of play.
“So we’ll see what happens. I hope that I get into some sort of groove. But, more importantly, I hope my body holds up.“
When you consider that when Watson and Nicklaus finished one-two in four Majors between 1977 and 1982 and it was Watson who emerged the victor each time you get an idea of how mighty a competitor the man from Kansas City was in his prime.
So it comes as no surprise he has no intention of dismissing the chance of one last hurrah at Muirfield come July 24!
“It can turn around, and usually it doesn’t take much,” he insisted. It has happened to me so many times, and it can come out of the blue with just one swing that you immediately think to yourself: ‘That’s it. That’s the key right there.’
“That’s what I’m close to, I think. I had a couple of ideas I took to the Senior PGA, and one of them has put me on the right road again.”
There are not many like Watson around today, and certainly not at 63 years of age. But the man himself realises he’s not immune to the march of time.
“When I was a kid growing up, I hit the ball further each time I picked up a club when the new season came around,” he recalled. That was on the upswing.
“Now I’ve lost a number of yards with each club, and each year I’m slowly inching down on the downward path.”
While he may have lost a few yeards off the tee, a dry Muirfield will help make up for that. And mentally Watson is 100% positive with his thought process!
“My expectations are not too much different from before,” he continued. I’m going out to tournaments with the idea that I’m going to play the type of game that’s going to get me close enough to win.
“Whether physically I’ll be able to do that, I don’t know. “But that’s the attitude.
“You better have a lot of that in you. It’s not a bad thing to have and, in fact, it’s a darn good thing to have in you. If you don’t think you can do it, there is no point in being there.”
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