Watson gives way to Swede as he covets Open return for Turnberry
title at the 1993 US Masters — and while he has never won The Open he has claimed the seniors’ version twice, including the last time it was held at Carnoustie, in 2010, and he believes the way Stenson and Phil Mickelson played can help others.
“It was fantastic the way the two guys played,” he said.
“To be 20 under and 17 under in these conditions, they were not easy conditions. When you see good shots and see putts being made, it sometimes helps you to do the same thing.”
Also taking part is the continental golfer who had the most famous miss of all, Jean van de Velde — the Frenchman whose paddle in the Barry Burn opened the way for Paul Lawrie to claim his victory in 1999. But for all that he claimed to love being back here, he said he has not been playing much so seems unlikely to contend. TOM WATSON believes his most famous performance has been eclipsed by the Scandinavian thriller staged by Henrik Stenson last Sunday but the American golfing great is anxious that the stage on which ‘the Duel in the Sun’ took place is used for future Open Championships.
The 65-year-old was enthralled by events at Troon, stating emphatically that the Swede’s performance in closing out Phil Mickelson was better than his own when he famously held off Jack Nicklaus further down the Ayrshire coastline in 1977.
“You just look at the facts of the matter . . . Henrik shot 8-under par in the last round of a very tough golf course,” he said. “It was a shootout right from the start. Great shot after great shot. Great putt after great putt. It was one for the ages, something special.
“The Open . . . sometimes you come right down to the wire where somebody may make a birdie in the last hole to win, but there are a lot of people that can vie for it.
“This one, you knew from the start, it was a two-man race, which made it so unique. The aura of this championship won’t wear off. It’s there. It’s always going to be there. People will say, yeah, Stenson and Mickelson at Troon.
“Jack and I, we had a pretty good contest, but you look at the facts, they were 13-under and Jack and I were 9-under. If you had to rank it, you would rank that above ours, that’s for sure.”
Watson, who is this week taking part in the British Seniors Open at Carnoustie where he won his first major title in 1975, meanwhile offered his enthusiastic endorsement to Turnberry – the venue for his great win over Nicklaus – being used for future Opens in spite of coming under the ownership of his controversial compatriot Donald Trump.
“The political thing is anybody’s guess what might happen. I’m just saying the golf course is A1. I’d be disappointed if they don’t go back to Trump Turnberry,” he said. “To me it’s right at the top. It’s not just good; it’s excellent.”