Heartbreak For Tom Watson At The 2009 British Open

Sports Betting News - July 20th, 2009 - Written by Jimmy

Entering the final round of the 2009 British Open Championship, Tom Watson found himself in a great position to take yet another Open Championship. For the 59 year old Watson, a win would have secured his 6th British Open title, and his 9th overall major title, but it was not to be.

Coming into the day, Watson was clear of the field by a stroke, at 4 under par. Throughout the round, players would rise and fall, as the wind was a steady 20 mph which made play difficult. Though conditions were difficult, Watson managed to keep his place, going into the 72nd hole. Standing over an 8 foot par putt, which would have cemented, Watson made a very tentative stroke, which inevitably missed, causing Watson to have to take bogey. The miss dropped Watson into a tie with Stewart Cink which lead to a 4 hole playoff that Cink would win.

After the round, Watson was visibly spent. A weary man stood stunned, after losing a playoff by four strokes. "It would have been a hell of a story, wouldn't it?" Watson said to ESPN reporters. "And it was almost. Almost. The dream almost came true."

The 2009 British Open Champion Stewart Cink said to ESPN, "I have to be honest, playing against Tom in the playoff, it's mixed feelings because I've watched him with such admiration all week, and of course, it would come down to me against him in the playoff. And then the golf course is so hard that someone eventually is going to probably lose the tournament with mistakes."

For Watson, a win would have secured him a spot in the next 10 Open Championships, as well as exemptions to the rest of the major championships for the next 5 years. Currently, with the age restrictions that the Royal & Ancient, have in place, Watson will only be allowed to play next year at St. Andrews in 2010. With his showing at Turnberry, Watson is causing the R&A to rethink a previous decision which dropped the age limit from 65 to 60. Currently, for Watson to play beyond 2010, he must finish in the top 10 at the 2010 Open Championship. Other avenues to qualify would be through qualifying, or by winning the 2010 Senior British Open Championship.