Watson draws on spirit of ‘77
Posted: 16 July 2009
More than 30 years after his epic “Duel in the Sun” with Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson rolled back the years to take an early clubhouse lead in the 138th Open Championship.
The five-time Open champion took advantage of pristine conditions at Turnberry to shoot a stunning 5-under 65. The bogey-free round included five birdies and left him a stroke ahead of the chasing pack.
“There was something slightly spiritual about today. I feel inspired playing here. A lot of it has to do with just being in the presence here at Turnberry again,” said the 59-year-old.
“I feel like I’m playing well enough to win the golf tournament. It doesn’t feel a whole lot out of the ordinary from 32 years ago except that I don’t have the confidence in my putting as I had 32 years ago!”
Watson has been continually reminded this week of his showdown with Nicklaus in 1977, when The Open first came to historic Turnberry. The American famously held on to win by a stroke in what is generally considered the greatest Open Championship in history.
“I don’t live in the past,” he said. “But certainly that has been at the forefront of a lot of conversations for me this week. A lot of people have been congratulating me for ‘77, and they remember it, too. It’s amazing there are a lot of kids in the tournament who were not even born in 1977!”
Watson posted his lowest score in The Open since a second-round 65 in 1994 - the last time it was held at Turnberry – and he feels he can mount a serious challenge this week.
“It was just a continuation of my practice rounds,” he said. “Sometimes when you get to my age, you just don’t know how you’re going to wake up; you just don’t know! But I’m hitting it well. Every now and then I can get it going.
“The reason I’m out there is to hit quality shots when the pressure is on. I love to compete and I still like to hit a shot when it really counts. I still feel like I can compete against the kids.”
