Tom Watson: Mr Happy

Last year Mr Norman, this year Mr Watson. Can 2009's old-timer bring the baton home?

Tom Watson knows what he has to do. “You just have to get the ball on the fairway,” he said when addressing a packed media conference late on Friday.

A level-par round of 70, a scatter of front-nine bogeys and a couple of meaty down-hillers have kept the 59-year-old in the leaderboard spotlight. To wind the clock back some 32 years, it really was elementary, dear Watson…

Whether Watson can maintain his charge remains hugely questionable. The five-time winner says golf is a game that is in great shape, and that men who may not be perceived as being in great shape can still prosper.

But Old Tom Morris remains this competition's most senior of winners and when you subtract 13 years from Watson's age to come up with his, you can appreciate the magnitude of the task ahead.

Still, it’s fun while it lasts, and there was no shortage of humour when the American faced a huge media circus on Friday…

Watson in words:
“It was two sets of nine today; the outward nine was awful”
“Lady Turnberry really got her teeth out”
“The one thing I am doing well is putting my ball on the fairway”
“You make a game plan, and mine worked today, thanks to a couple of 60-footers”
“Sergio gave me a pick-me-up. He said: ‘Come on old man.’ That was nice.”
“It was kind of spiritual. Links golf is a fabric of my life. The memories were with me.”
“Links golf, I have played it when I am not playing well and it gets to you.”

Alex Narey
Content Editor

Alex began his journalism career in regional newspapers in 2001 and moved to the Press Association four years later. He spent three years working at Dennis Publishing before first joining Golf Monthly, where he was on the staff from 2008 to 2015 as the brand's managing editor, overseeing the day-to-day running of our award-winning magazine while also contributing across various digital platforms. A specialist in news and feature content, he has interviewed many of the world's top golfers and returns to Golf Monthly after a three-year stint working on the Daily Telegraph's sports desk. His current role is diverse as he undertakes a number of duties, from managing creative solutions campaigns in both digital and print to writing long-form features for the magazine. Alex has enjoyed a life-long passion for golf and currently plays to a handicap of 13 at Tylney Park Golf Club in Hampshire.