The Open Championship will say goodbye to its finest-ever player this week as Tom Watson makes his farewell appearance.
With five Claret Jugs and three Senior Opens all won at seaside courses, there has been no finer exponent of links golf.
Tom is an intelligent guy, with a degree in psychology, and I always feel that has been brought out at The Open.
Playing links golf is about feel and judgment and thinking your way round a course. Those were Tom’s strengths.
He embraced the challenge and loved coming over the week before to play in Ireland or Scotland. He got used to playing and putting in the wind, so he was ready when The Open began.
But looking back 40 years to his first victory, he was a surprise winner at Carnoustie.
None of us knew too much about this American, and we’d heard that he buckled under pressure. We all expected him to lose the 18-hole play-off to Australian Jack Newton, who was a serious seaside player.
Tom prevailed and the rest is history.
But I’m still disappointed now when I think how he didn’t win at Turnberry in 2009.
I followed him every round that week, and it was an absolute privilege to watch his ball striking, which was as good as ever at 59.
When he hit his nine iron into the final hole, it looked perfect. I thought I had witnessed one of THE achievements in any sport.
As I reached the green, my heart sank. The golfing gods had conspired to send Tom’s ball through the green, and I just sensed he wouldn’t get up and down.
He would have managed it 20 years before, but not then. And what happened in the play-off against Stewart Cink was almost inevitable.
It’s right that Tom says goodbye in Scotland, where he won four of his five Opens and the crowds have had such a special relationship with him.
It’s amazing to think the only Open course in Scotland he didn’t win at was St Andrews, although he’ll feel he should have beaten Seve Ballesteros in 1984.
Even though this is his last Open, don’t think Tom is just here for a ceremonial week. He’ll have prepared properly and he will expect to do well.
St Andrews is not long and it’s all about strategy, which suits him down to the ground.
If he has a good week on the greens, I would expect him to make the cut.
Anyway, we all want that emotional moment on the Swilken Bridge and down the 18th to be not on Friday, but Sunday.
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe