Tom Watson (golfer)

Tom Watson
Watson after winning the 1982 U.S. Open
Personal information
Full nameThomas Sturges Watson
Born (1949-09-04) September 4, 1949 (age 75)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight175 lb (79 kg)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceOverland Park, Kansas, U.S.[1]
Spouse
Linda Rubin
(m. 1972; div. 1997)
Hilary Watson
(m. 1999; died 2019)
LeslieAnne Wade
(m. 2022; sep. 2022)
Children5
Career
CollegeStanford University
Turned professional1971
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
PGA Tour Champions
European Seniors Tour
Professional wins70
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour39 (Tied-10th all-time)
European Tour8
Japan Golf Tour4
Asian Tour1
PGA Tour of Australasia1
PGA Tour Champions14
Other11
Best results in major championships
(wins: 8)
Masters TournamentWon: 1977, 1981
PGA ChampionshipT2: 1978
U.S. OpenWon: 1982
The Open ChampionshipWon: 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame1988 (member page)
PGA Tour
money list winner
1977, 1978, 1979,
1980, 1984
PGA Player of the Year1977, 1978, 1979,
1980, 1982, 1984
Vardon Trophy1977, 1978, 1979
Bob Jones Award1987
Old Tom Morris Award1992
Payne Stewart Award2003
Champions Tour
Charles Schwab Cup winner
2003, 2005
Champions Tour
money list winner
2003
Champions Tour
Player of the Year
2003
Champions Tour
Byron Nelson Award
2003

Thomas Sturges Watson (born September 4, 1949) is an American retired professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Watson was one of the leading golfers in the world, winning eight major championships and heading the PGA Tour money list five times. He was the number one player in the world according to McCormack's World Golf Rankings from 1978 until 1982; in both 1983 and 1984, he was ranked second behind Seve Ballesteros. He also spent 32 weeks in the top 10 of the successor Sony Rankings in their debut in 1986.[2]

Watson is also notable for his longevity: at nearly sixty years of age, and 26 years after his last major championship victory, he led after the second and third rounds of The Open Championship in 2009, but lost in a four-hole playoff. With a chance to win the tournament with par on the 72nd hole, he missed an 8-foot (2.4 m) putt, then lost to Stewart Cink in the playoff.

Several of Watson's major victories came at the expense of Jack Nicklaus, the man he replaced as number one, most notably the 1977 Masters, 1977 Open Championship, and the 1982 U.S. Open. Though his rivalry with Nicklaus was intense, their friendly competitiveness served to increase golf's popularity at the time.

In Watson's illustrious career, his eight major championships include five Open Championships,[3] two Masters titles, and one U.S. Open title. In all, Watson's eight majors ranks sixth on the list of total major championship victories, behind only Nicklaus, Woods, Walter Hagen, Hogan, and Player.

Watson is also regarded as one of the greatest links players of all time, a claim backed up by his five Open Championship victories, his runner-up finishes at the 1984 Open Championship and 2009 Open Championship, and his three Senior British Open Championship titles in his mid-50s (2003, 2005, and 2007).

Watson played on four Ryder Cup teams and captained the American side to victory in 1993 at The Belfry in England. More than twenty years later, Watson again captained the U.S. Team in 2014 in Scotland, this time in a loss.[4]

  1. ^ Hammill, Roxie (June 21, 2016). "Tom Watson and neighbors lose Overland Park annexation fight". The Kansas City Star.
  2. ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking". Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  3. ^ "1977 Tom Watson". The Open. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  4. ^ "Tom Watson returns as Ryder Cup captain". USA Today. December 13, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012.