Watson Snags Senior PGA Championship

A number of weeks ago I reviewed Tom Watson's new book, The Timeless Swing. Little did I realize then how prophetic it would turn out to be. The 61 year old Watson defeated David Eger on the 1st playoff hole to capture the 82nd Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla. Eger fashioned a superb 67 to Watson's final round 70 to close a 3 stroke deficit at the start of the final round and force the extra hole. They both finished regulation play at -10. Truth is, both missed relatively easy putts on the 72nd hole that if either one had dropped, the playoff would have been unnecessary. It seems no one is immune to major championship pressure.Eger found a fairway bunker with his tee shot, while Watson split the fairway. Advantage Watson. Eger was forced to lay up and Watson's 2nd shot on the par five nestled in a greenside sand trap. Watson calmly played out to about three feet for a birdie and the win. When asked about the winning putt he responded, "Why dawdle. I didn't take much time with the putt. I took one practice stroke and figured, 'Let's get this over with"'.      

Kiyoshi Murota battled back problems stemming from the 3rd round to capture solo 3rd at -9. Hale Irwin, at 65, almost 66 years young, threatened throughout the event. His tough final round 73 placed him in 4th alone at -8. Full Field Final Scores

Watson has indeed proved that a solid, repeatable golf swing can be enjoyed for life. It would be hard not consider him a contender at this year's Open Championship. I'm not Watson's age, but I'm a lot closer to it than Rickie's or Rory's. Guess I'll keep playing.







Swing hard, look up,

The Timeless Swing, by Tom Watson - Average Golfer Book Review

The Timeless Swing  

by: TomWatson

with: Nick Seitz

Photographs by: Dom Furore

I've read a hundred golf instructional books. Literally. I will admit that I've quit reading instructional articles in golf magazines though when I found conflicting advice in the same issue(s). Hogan's Five Lessons... is frequently mentioned as the holy grail of tutorials. I read it at least five times and found it to be a confounding mix of biology and physics, neither of which were ever a strong point for me. So, due to my instructional overload I opened Tom Watson's The Timeless Swing with a large dose of skepticism, Mr. Watson's stellar reputation notwithstanding. 

What I found was golf instruction I could see and understand. For the most part there's no new "a-ha!" discoveries left in the golfosphere.  Watson doesn't pretend to present any, rather he builds on sound principles and has a touch for presenting them in simple fashion. That's probably the best concept I took from the book. Golf is really much easier than I've been making it. As you would expect, the fundamentals are given great weight and are well represented. Grip, posture, aim, etc. are described in suitable detail. Takeaway, backswing, and downswing are dissected, but not overly analyzed. Watson shares his ideas on shotmaking, maintaining your swing as you age, (hit a chord with me), and includes his favorite drills gleaned over his long career. Mr. Watson is quick to give credit where credit is due by mentioning the effect others have had on his game, including Nicklaus, Nelson, Snead, and particularly his longtime coach Stan Thirsk.

Aside from the advice I could glean from an eight time major championship winner, there's another feature of the book that made it really stand out among the crowd of instructionals. Dom Furore's superb photography is evident from page one. The photos are numerous and complement Watson's instruction perfectly. I found myself reading a section, moving to the accompanying photos, and seeing the concept I just digested. Being a visual sort, this was just the type of instruction I should be able to translate to my own game. The photos alone make the book a great read.

Consider lessons from a guy that's collected eight majors, been Player Of The Year six times, and recently, at almost sixty years young, contended for the 2009 Open Championship, fully twenty one years after being elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Timeless Swing is the perfect descriptive for one of the most timeless of golfers. Allow him to lend his timeless philosophy to your game.    

The Timeless Swing, Atria Books, Available at Amazon.com 

* The review copy was provided to Average Golfer by the publisher.

** My review is being submitted in the Simon & Schuster sweepstakes.

2010 Masters, 1st Round - Couples, Watson Turn Back Clock

It appears that 60 is the

new 50 and 50 is the new 40, at least today anyway during the 1st round of the 2010 Masters. Fred Couples, feeding off the momentum of three consecutive Champions Tour wins, leads the pack after a smooth 66. Ageless Tom Watson with a 67 was the clubhouse leader until Couples' gem. Also finishing with 67s were Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, YE Yang, and KJ Choi. Tiger Woods broke 70 for the first time in his Masters opening round with a -4, 68. Joining him in the log jam for 3rd were Ricky Barnes, Anthony Kim, Ian Poulter, and Nick Watney. Full Field 1st Round Scores.

Except for some midday wind Augusta National was relatively benign today. A line of encroaching thunderstorms miraculously passed the course by and spared a delay. The tees were moved up for the most part and moisture allowed the greens to be receptive, at least as receptive as one could expect at Augusta. Sun is forecast for the remaining three days and drying will radically change the nature of the course. Proof of that is 31 players scoring under par today.

Woods' reception was fairly warm. After carding his 68 I'm sure he realized that resuming his career here was a good idea.  Playing in his group wasn't a hindrance to his playing partners. In fact KJ Choi's 67 bested Woods and Matt Kuchar shot a -2, 70 to be in the hunt. Having the first round out of the way was a huge step in Woods' personal recovery effort.

The real story here though was Couples and Watson. This Average Golfer can't wait for the second round to see if they can continue their excellent play. Watson especially, playing on a 7,400 yard behemoth is proof that golf savvy and course knowledge can overcome distance.  Being north of 50 myself only reinforces my rooting for either of them to be a factor on Sunday. Let it unfold.....





Til' next,

Watson's Magic Spoils Couples' Champions Tour Debut

Score one for the "over 60" set. Ageless Tom Watson birdied the last two holes to scratch out a one shot win over Champions Tour rookie Fred Couples in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship held at Hualalai Resort Golf Club in Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii.

In what was essentially match play on the back nine, Watson stuck his tee shot to six feet on the tricky par three 17th hole and erased Couples' tenuous one shot advantage by making the birdie putt. On the closing 18th he hit a remarkable approach shot to four feet from the right rough and calmly sank the birdie to seal the victory. The rest of the field notwithstanding, Watson beat a man in Couples who is fully capable of winning on the regular tour. Despite being outdriven by an average of 50 yards or so, Watson proved the adage that "It's not how, but how many". Superb iron and hybrid play put Watson close for birdies and his earlier in the tourney shaky putting came around and clinched the win.

With the win Watson proved his near win in last year's Open Championship was no fluke. He and Couples ripped up the course with Watson finishing at -22 for the three rounds. Couples was one back and remarked that he didn't finish often at 21 under and lose. Michael Allen was four back in solo third at -18. 64 year old Hale Irwin closed in 5th at -14. It just shows that these old guys, given a short course with just a hint of rough and smooth greens, can still put the ball in the hole in short order. Couples averaged over 320 yards per drive for the event, showing he still has a few starts left on the big tour. Watson proved he's worth watching whenever he plays and will gain this Average Golfer's attention in the 2010 Open Championship. Nice to still be able to watch a legend perform at the highest levels.

I haven't exactly been keen on the Champions Tour of late, but the injection of new blood, ala Couples, Pavin, Lehman, and possibly Kenny Perry may sway my opinion.





Til' next,

Tiger Woods Needs a Lesson From Tom Watson

Impetuous, childlike, immature, sullen, testy. These words describe my two now adult boys between the ages of thirteen and sixteen or so. They also describe Tiger Woods at the recent Open Championship. The display of club pounding into the ground and lip read expletives was more than I, an admitted Woods fan, could bear. His early exit was a fitting end to an ugly display of non-sportsmanship. He obviously didn't bring his A, B, or maybe even C game to Turnberry. It was painfully evident to all of us watching. The retching, pained- face looks of incredulity from Tiger had me shouting at the TV, "Yes, we already know you just skyed it 200 yards dead right, you moron."

No one would ever question Tiger Woods dedication to excellence or mastery of his craft. His competitive drive and legendary focus is well journalled and one of the pillars of his game. Still, is he any more competitive than Tom Watson? Watson plays in a local tourney in his home state of Missouri with small time legends and crack shooters. It's a testament to his character that he bothers to thrill the locals by attending. He's been quoted as saying he's as dedicated to burying them as he is his foes on the pro tours. Still, he can vanquish his opponents, as he has many times while collecting eight majors, without embarrassing you or himself. Dignity and grace are his fabric, win or lose. No tantrums or displays to the degree that if you just tuned in at the end of a Tom Watson event it would be tough to tell if he was winning or losing. The grace he showed after losing the Open on Sunday should be playing on Woods' flat screen in a continuous loop. For any naysayers, tell me at 59 years old, with five Claret Jugs to his name, Watson wasn't competitive, or didn't dearly wish to add a sixth. Who would have blamed the man, after a lifetime of class, if he tossed a club from his gorse infested lie in the playoff? From a man that dented Jack Nicklaus' armor more than anyone, competitive? Kidding me? Or the reverse......Nicklaus, 19 second place major finishes, throw a club? Smash the tee box? Never, too much respect for the game, his playing partners, and himself, in that order. Or Arnie, Trevino, Cink on Sunday, ad nauseum.

A couple of years after I'd joined my club my game was finally showing signs of real progress. I could birdie any hole on the course, I just couldn't string them together in one round. My scores were dropping at a noticeable rate and all was right with the universe. One day I was paired with one of the older members, a very good stick who threatened to shoot his age any time out. I was anxious to prove my mettle and was thrilled that I was beginning to be asked into better player's groups. I came out hot and was one over after five holes facing a long narrow par five. The group was impressed with my progress and it felt great to hear their compliments. Naturally I then blocked my tee shot off of the property. I teed again, declared a provisional, I couldn't have found the first with GPS, but it seemed like the correct pronouncement. My second, shot three, was the largest, highest, slowest moving banana in the history of fruit. "Captain Kirked, gone where no ball's gone before." I helicoptered my driver about 30 feet down the fairway, never in danger of hitting anyone or thing, then raised my best look of surprised disgust. You know, like you'd never, ever, hit two bad shots in a row. My experienced new partner said, "First of all you're hitting five off the tee, secondly son, if you haven't guessed already, you'll never be good enough to throw a club, so if you wish to finish with us, that will be the last ." It was.

I'm not discounting Mr. Woods accomplishments or his contributions to the game and society at large. His learning centers are remarkably impressive and for all I know may just scratch the surface of his generosity. He comports himself gracefully at all times, except when plying his trade on the golf course, the place he gets the most face time. Just two overdue words of advice for Tiger. Grow up.





Til' next,

Watson Leads, Woods Misses Cut at '09 British Open - Whoulda Thunk?

With Tiger Woods an incredible prohibitive favorite to win the 2009 British Open, betting houses were scrambling to come up with parlay bets to fill the void and attract some action. I doubt if any of them came up with the scenario of Tom Watson leading the thing at the halfway mark and Tiger Woods reading Golf Magazine on his private jet home, looking for swing tips. Legendary Old Tom Morris was 46 when he won the the last of his Open Championships. What does that make Watson at 59? Fill in adjective here _____. Then again, Watson has five claret jugs, which aside from making him an expert in links golf, affords him more jugs than my first strip club encounter. That would make his chances better than any 59 year old on the planet.

Woods' would have spent the day in the woods at my course. Be that as it may, he struggled mightily off the tee, which sealed a fate no one could rally from. His tee ball on the 8th hole was a 200 yard balloon right followed by a tee shot on the 9th that went righter than Reagan. That ball was was ultimately not found and just added to the calamity of errors that described his round today. I kind of enjoyed the fact that even the world's best player has days when he can't, for the life of him, hit it even remotely straight. Don't feel too bad though. He's still a kabillionaire with two babies and a Swedish model waiting for him with open arms. The only one that should be worried might be Hank Haney. I jest. The only problem with Woods' swing is consistent execution. I'm no teaching pro, but I noticed that he seemed to take a pronounced dip on his downswing, especially with the longer clubs. Unfortunately, I don't expect Tiger to be reading this article.

Watson survived five front nine bogeys to post an even par 70. After a reported pep talk by playing partner Sergio Garcia, he proceeded to blow up the back nine, playing the final 10 holes in 4 under par. The exclamation points came when he netted a 75 ft. bomb of a putt on the 16th hole, then verified it on 18 with a 45 footer. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could win,” Watson said. Nuff' said I reckon. That left him tied with Steve Marino, whose superb 68 in blustery conditions, was overshadowed by Watson's effort. Don't look now Tom, a host of players are within striking distance going into moving day. Mark Calcavecchia is one back at -4 and the group of Fisher, Goosen, Jiminez, Vijay Singh, and Kenichi Kuboya are knotted at -3.

Unfortunately this Average Golfer will be moving tomorrow as well. I'll be driving to a wedding in Connecticut during the telecast of round three. As luck would have it, I'll be returning at a similar time for round four. You'd think my family would have at least a modicum of consideration when planning their events. It's not like the schedule for the Open Championship was announced last week!

Enjoy the rest of the Open Championship where I cannot. I'll live vicariously through y'all and pretend to have a good time.



Til' next,

137th Open Championship Preview

The granddaddy of them all. Scene of Tom Watson's last Open Championship in 1983,Mark O'Meara's in 1998 when last played here, Royal Birkdale again requests the honor of your presence to crown the year's champion golfer.

What to expect...

Expect rough, lots of rich green rough. When the spring is wet in the British Isles, the rough is long and green. This spring was wet.

Expect the unexpected if handicapping this tournament. With Tiger Woods on the sidelines there's no clear favorite. That will make for some ripe golf viewing. Sergio's installed as the early favorite at 10/1. Keep in mind that is just a number to even out the money bet across the field. He's obviously a fan favorite. Average Golfer says beware of betting on a man to win a major that hasn't won a major. Try this link for Ladbrokes' current odds on the field. We'll handicap the field ourselves tomorrow and make accurate predictions.

Expect an exciting Sunday. This field is too close in talent to have it any other way. There's about a third of the field that I've never heard of before. I foresee a real horse race finish and some tangible excitement. Can't wait.

The Course...

Since last held here in 1998 Royal Birkdale has been grabbed by both ends and forcefully pulled. No. 17 is 30 yards longer with a devilsh new green. The intended 10.5 on the Stimpmeter may be too fast for this roller coaster.

Nos. 7, and 12, both par threes, are the only holes left untouched since O'Meara's win. Everything else is longer, with the total added yardage at 155 yards. Playing lines have been altered on many holes however, as well as tightening of the bunkers and additional mounds to confound the world's best.

The great determiner, British weather, has been left untouched. Combine some wind with 10 yard wide fairways and ball hunting may be a popular sport. Gradual tree removal over the years has insured the wind will play a part.

How to watch...

If you're not on a plane by tomorrow, settle for TV coverage.

Thu., 7/17 7:00AM-2:30PM, TNT
Fri., 7/18 7:00AM-2:30PM TNT
Sat., 7/19 7:00AM- 9:00AM TNT
Sat., 7/19 9:00AM-2:30PM ABC
Sun., 7/20 6:00AM-8:00AM TNT
Sun., 7/20 8:00AM-1:30PM ABC

Tomorrow from Average Golfer...

Predictions including the winner of the 137th Open Championship.

Til, next,


*Open Trivia...No Brit, European, or South African golfer has won the Open at Royal Birkdale. Americans and Australians reserve that role to this point.

*Publisher's note. The link given for Royal Birkdale is the course guide from the R&A website. The club site was unavailable at press time, probably overloaded due to too many requests.

There's a Golf Major This Weekend, Anyone Care?

The Champions Tour kicks off it's major season this week with the Senior P.G.A. Championship. It's being held at venerable Oak Hill in Rochester, NY. Strangely, the seniors have five major championships. Why do the younger tours only have the energy for four? Also, why doesn't this tour make up their minds. Do they want to be seniors or champions? Marketing 101, pick a name and stick with it. That's part of the problem with the Champions Tour right now, a lack of recognizable names. In fact, if you visit The Golf Channel's website the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial has top billing. You have to scour the web page to find much mention of the Champions event. Ahem, even the P.G.A. Tour's website leads with regular tour event and they're the internet home to the Champions Tour. Denis Watson defends. Denis Watson? I thought that was my mailman's name, only spelled wrong. Langer, Haas, Roberts, and Tom Watson are considered the favorites. With the exception of Watson these guys were journeymen on the P.G.A. Tour. Well, Langer, maybe not with his Euro wins. Regardless, watching Langer qualifies as an FDA approved sleep aid. Don't operate heavy machinery if he's in the lead and you're watching. I congratulate them for continuing to compete, but this weekend they're competing for average golfer's attention with beers, sunshine and meat on the grill.

Arnie's gone., Jack's gone. Seve lost it. With a few exceptions, the mega stars on the big tour turn 50 and have made enough money and claimed enough fame for five lifetimes. Their incentive to play and grind for chump money is lacking. Conversely, the mediocre guys see it as an opportunity and relish the attention they couldn't earn on the big tour. I guess the question is, "Would Senior Major League Baseball do very well?" Correct me if I'm wrong, and I don't have the viewing figures to back me up, but I'd say this major championship will go by largely unnoticed.

If I'm wrong and you do watch , this is one doozy of a golf course. After his 12 over par 292 at the 2003 P.G.A. Championship, Tiger Woods said it was "the best, fairest, and toughest championship golf course I've ever played." Jeff Sluman, a Rochester native, has played the course over 500 times. Early line favorite? Since being at it's current site in 1926, Oak Hill has hosted 2 P.G.A. Championships, 3 US Opens, and a Ryder Cup. Combining the 5 majors, only ten players have finished under par. So, if you do watch, at least it will be a chance to see players challenged by a terrific and historic venue.

Til' next,