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Watson & Faldo prepare for last hurrah

By: Golf Shake | Thu 09 Jul 2015


Post by Sports Writer, Derek Clements


THERE will not be a dry eye in the house when Tom Watson stands on the Swilcan Bridge and then makes his way down the 18th fairway of the Old Course at St Andrews for the final time. Many people expect that to happen at the end of the second round, but don't be at all surprised to see one of the greatest golfers of all time play all four rounds before bidding farewell to the tournament he dominated for so long and graced with such class and humility for more than 40 years.

He won the Claret Jug five times and if he has a regret, it will be that he never managed to lift it aloft on the 18th green at the Old Course. Watson is now 65, but he remains a force. Don't forget that he started The Masters this year with a 71.


Tom Watson's 'duel in the sun' with Jack Nicklaus is for many the finest Open ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-07cTeli9yw


 

He won his first Open in 1975 and his last in 1983. There were also two runners-up finishes, most memorably in 2009 when he returned to Turnberry, the scene of his showdown with Jack Nicklaus in 1977, and very nearly won again at the venerable age of 59. Needing to get down in two from the back of the 18th green to create history, he took three shots and lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink, a true gentleman who will probably go down as the most unpopular champion in Open history.

His Duel in the Sun with Nicklaus at Turnberry is still talked about as the best Open showdown of all time, and if you believe everybody who says they were there then the four-day attendance must have been nudging one million. Over four days, the two best golfers of their time went at each other like two world heavyweight boxing champions. One fabulous approach followed another. Nicklaus would hole a birdie putt, Watson would follow him in. They came to the 72nd with Watson one ahead. The younger man split the fairway with a magnificent drive, while Nicklaus finished in a tuft of thick rough. He could hardly see the ball but somehow smashed it onto the front edge of the green and, incredibly, holed the putt for yet another birdie to draw level with his rival.

Watson had played his approach to two feet, however, and tapped the putt in for a birdie to beat the Golden Bear by one shot. Watson had played 72 holes in 268 shots, Nicklaus in 269. Third-placed Hubert Green was 10 adrift of Nicklaus. It was arguably Watson's finest hour and although his performance in 2009 surprised everybody, Watson admitted that it hurt to come so close without being able to finish the job, especially as he thought his second shot to the final green was perfect.

In an interview in 2012, Watson said that he was "distraught" at coming so close to becoming the oldest major winner at the age of 59 and said that the experience "tore his guts out". Watson said of his approach shot to the green at the 72nd hole, when he needed a par to win the Open: "I was going right at the flag but with the uncertainty of links golf, maybe a gust of wind took it a bit further than it was supposed to. I felt extreme disappointment that night but the one good thing that came of that was the response of people around the world."

His other runner-up finish came in 1984 when, bidding for a third successive victory, he succumbed to Seve Ballesteros and THAT celebration. It was the only time that Watson contended at St Andrews.

He is the only golfer to score a round of 67 or less in all four majors at least once in four different decades, doing so most recently in 2010 at The Masters.  It would be no surprise if Watson were to play all 72 holes at St Andrews. He has already made it plain that is his intention, with the extra roll he will gain on his drives meaning that the huge distances the likes of Rory McIlroy hit the ball will be reduced.

He says that he given a great deal of thought to his final performance in The Open, saying that he was never interested in being regarded as a ceremonial player. "I will feel some melancholy, but I have had some great times playing in The Open for all these years," he said. "It is going to be a very special week for me. My aim is to cross the Swilken Bridge for the last time on the Sunday - anything else will be just gravy."

Watson is much loved in Scotland, having won four of his five Opens north of the border (Muirfield, Carnoustie, Troon and Turnberry), and is guaranteed a standing ovation on whatever day his Open career comes to an end.

He is not the only one taking his final bow. It will be Nick Faldo's last Open too. The three-time champion has shown no interest in being competitive since he turned 50 and is unlikely to make the cut. It is a great shame because his best performance in any major came at St Andrews in 1990, when he outplayed Greg Norman in the third round and went on to win by five shots.


Faldo won the final of three Opens in 1992 at Muirfield 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbp3k-J_By8


 

There will not be as much affection for Faldo, even though he is a home player. He won six majors but never truly endeared himself to the British golfing public. He has carved out a successful career as a golf analyst and commentator on American TV, but it is a long time since he thrilled anybody through his exploits on the course. Nonetheless, his departure will only serve to remind us all that time and tide wait for no man, not even a six-time major winner.


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