Tom Watson: Golf
Tom Sturges Watson (born 4 September 1949) is a professional golfer who was a six-time PGA Player of the Year. He is one of the most successful professional golfers since Sam Snead, wining eight major championships and heading the PGA Tour money list five times. Watson was the sport’s dominant figure in the 70s and 80s, and he’s also notable for defying age, where he led the 2009 Open Championship but lost in a four-hole playoff. Watson replaced Jack Nicklaus’ number one position during the 1977 Open Championship and 1982 U.S. Open. His rivalry with Nicklaus was intense that their competitiveness increased the sport’s popularity during their era.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
Tom Watson won 39 PGA Tours and 14 Championships. He won the 1977 and 1981 Masters, the 1982 U.S. Open, and the 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1983 British Open. Watson is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. He became the PGA Tour Money leader for five years, won the PGA Tour Vardon Trophy for three years, PGA Tour Player of the Year for six years, became a member of the USA Ryder Cup team in 1977, 1981, 1983 and 1989 and became the captain of the Ryder Cup team in 1993 and 2014.
Why Is He So Good?
Tom Watson’s innocent-looking freckled face didn’t match his killer instinct on the golf course. During the peak of his career, he was notable for his excellent recovery skills. His evident competitiveness was seen during the 2009 Open Championship when he was 59 years old where he achieved copious length with accurateness, played assertively and developed an unbeatable short game
What You May Not Know
- Out of four of Tom’s eight major championship victories, Nicklaus finished second.
- He graduated from Stanford with a degree in Psychology.
- He became an honorary member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in 1999 alongside Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gene Sarazen.
Was he a legend?
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Related Pages
- More legendary Golf players
- Athlete Database home
- About the sport of Golf
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