Tom Watson (golfer)
Tom Watson | |
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Personnel | |
Nation: | United States |
Career data | |
Professional since: | 1971 |
Current tour: | Champions Tour |
Tournament wins: | 67 |
Major wins : | 8 (+ 5 senior majors ) |
Awards: |
Bob Jones Award (1987) World Golf Hall of Fame (1988) Old Tom Morris Award (1992) |
Thomas Sturges Watson (born September 4, 1949 in Kansas City , Missouri ) is an American professional golfer . With eight major tournament victories, five of which were the British Open , he is one of the most successful players.
Career
Watson's golf career began in 1971 after graduating from Stanford University with a degree in psychology. His most successful time on the PGA Tour began with the 1974 season , which lasted until 1984. From the late 1980s onwards, Watson was unable to maintain his brilliant form due to persistent putt problems. About 10 years later, however, at the advanced age of 47 and 49, respectively, he won a tournament against consistently much younger competition.
Since 1999 Watson has been allowed to play in the Seniors' Tour and has won five major titles there so far .
His high-class duels with Jack Nicklaus at the Open Championship 1977 and the US Open 1982 will not be forgotten. He was then able to win both tournaments at the last moment. A particularly emotional day was at the 2003 US Open , when Watson, accompanied by his long-time caddy Bruce Edwards, managed a sensational opening round of 65 strokes and everyone knew that it would be the farewell of Edwards, who was terminally ill with ALS . The Caddy died the following year at the age of 49.
On July 19, 2009, at the age of almost 60, Watson led one hole from the end of the Open Championship by one stroke. However, he postponed the winning putt on the last hole and lost in the subsequent jump-off against his compatriot Stewart Cink, who was 24 years his junior .
Tom Watson currently resides in Stillwell, Kansas with his wife, 2 children, and 3 stepchildren .
Honors
- 1987 Bob Jones Award , the United States Golf Association's top honor .
- 1988 World Golf Hall of Fame , inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame .
- 1992 Old Tom Morris Award
- 1999 Honorary Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
PGA Tour victories
- 1974 (1) Western Open
- 1975 (2) Byron Nelson Golf Classic , The Open Championship
- 1977 (5) Bing Crosby National Pro-Am , Andy Williams-San Diego Open , The Masters , Western Open , The Open Championship
- 1978 (5) Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open, Bing Crosby National Pro-Am , Byron Nelson Golf Classic , Colgate Hall of Fame Classic, Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic
- 1979 (5) Sea Pines Heritage Classic, MONY Tournament of Champions , Byron Nelson Golf Classic , Memorial Tournament , Colgate Hall of Fame Classic
- 1980 (7) Andy Williams-San Diego Open , Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open , MONY Tournament of Champions , Greater New Orleans Open, Byron Nelson Golf Classic , The Open Championship , World Series of Golf
- 1981 (3) The Masters , USF & G New Orleans Open, Atlanta Classic
- 1982 (4) Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open , Sea Pines Heritage, US Open , The Open Championship
- 1983 (1) The Open Championship
- 1984 (3) Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship, MONY Tournament of Champions , Western Open
- 1987 (1) Nabisco Championship
- 1996 (1) Memorial Tournament
- 1998 (1) MasterCard Colonial
Major championships are in bold .
Results at major tournaments
competition | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T8 | T33 | 1 | T2 | T2 | T12 | 1 | T5 | T4 | 2 |
US Open | DNP | DNP | T29 | CUT | T5 | T9 | 7th | T7 | T6 | CUT | T3 | T23 | 1 | 2 | T11 |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 1 | CUT | 1 | T14 | T26 | 1 | T23 | 1 | 1 | T2 |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T12 | T11 | 9 | T15 | T6 | 2 | T12 | T10 | CUT | T9 | T47 | T39 |
competition | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | T10 | T6 | T7 | T9 | T14 | T7 | T3 | T48 | T45 | 13 | T14 | CUT | 4th | CUT | CUT |
US Open | CUT | T24 | 2 | T36 | T46 | CUT | T16 | CUT | T5 | T6 | T56 | T13 | 64 | CUT | T57 |
The Open Championship | T47 | T35 | 7th | T28 | 4th | CUT | T26 | CUT | CUT | T11 | T31 | DNP | T10 | CUT | CUT |
PGA Championship | T6 | T16 | T14 | T31 | T9 | T19 | CUT | T62 | 5 | T9 | T58 | T17 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
competition | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | CUT | CUT | T40 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T18 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
US Open | T27 | DNP | DNP | T28 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T29 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | T55 | CUT | CUT | T18 | DNP | T41 | T48 | DNP | CUT | 2 | CUT | T22 | T77 | CUT | T51 |
PGA Championship | T9 | T66 | T48 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT |
competition | 2015 | 2016 |
---|---|---|
The Masters | CUT | CUT |
US Open | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | CUT | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP |
DNP = not started
WD = withdrawn
CUT = failed at the cut
"T" = shared rank
Other tournament victories
- 1980 Dunlop Phoenix ( Japan Golf Tour )
- 1984 Australian Open
- 1992 Hong Kong Open
- 1994 Skins Game
- 1997 Dunlop Phoenix (Japan Golf Tour)
Champions Tour victories
- 1999 Bank One Championship
- 2000 IR Senior Tour Championship
- 2001 Senior PGA Championship
- 2002 Senior Tour Championship at Gaillardia
- 2003 Senior British Open , JELD-WEN tradition
- 2005 Senior British Open , Charles Schwab Cup Championship
- 2007 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, Senior British Open
- 2008 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Andy North)
- 2010 Wendy's Champions Skins Game (with Jack Nicklaus ), Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
- 2011 Wendy's Champions Skins Game (with Jack Nicklaus), Senior PGA Championship
Senior majors are in bold .
Other senior tournament victories
- 1999 Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge (with Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin )
- 1999 Diner's Club Matches (with Jack Nicklaus)
- 2000 Hyundai Team Matches (with Jack Nicklaus)
- 2004 Wendy's Champions Skins Game
- 2005 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Raphael Division (with Andy North )
- 2006 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Raphael Division (with Andy North)
- 2007 Wendy's Champions Skins Game (with Jack Nicklaus), Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Raphael Division (with Andy North)
Participation in team competitions
Ryder Cup
For the Ryder Cup 1979 Watson was also qualified, but for private reasons he decided not to participate
See also
Web links
(all english)
Individual evidence
- ^ Watson out of Cup , The Glasgow Herald, September 14, 1979
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Watson, Tom |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Watson, Thomas Sturges |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American professional golfer |
DATE OF BIRTH | September 4, 1949 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Kansas City , Missouri |