WATSON, 68, SHOOTS 69 TO ROLL BACK THE YEARS
THE last time Tom Watson played the Old Course, they came out of the pubs past 10pm to stand alongside the 18th hole and pay tribute at the end of his final round at the Open. Nobody cared that the great man was so emotional he wrapped up with a shank and a three putt. But he did. Three years later, the memory was still fresh. ‘That was no way to end and I want to make good on that this week,’ he said. The old grey town of legend looked resplendent under dazzling blue skies on a picture postcard morning, and the greatest links player of all time strode gracefully to the first tee for his opening round in the Senior Open. By his side was the best over-50s golfer of all time, the man with 10 senior majors to his name already, and nobody thinks Bernhard Langer is finished just yet. The third member of the group, Miguel Angel Jimenez, completed a trio for whom Old Father Time has clearly given up on as a lost cause in getting them to act their age. Watson is 68 now but, when he swings the club, the driver is still parallel with the ground at the completion of his backswing. Like Langer, he carries no excess weight and, also like the 60-year-old German, he looks at least 10 years younger. Perhaps there was a touch of nerves with his opening tee shot, as he caught it slightly off-middle. ‘Roll baby, roll,’ he cried, and it duly did on the dust-brown fairways. Watson can still smack his drives a good distance. This was a classic St Andrews day with the outward half playing downwind and, at the par five fifth hole, his drive had gone beyond the 350-yard mark before it came to a halt. Watson won the Open five times, with four of his victories coming on four different courses in Scotland — but never St Andrews. When I asked if it rankled, he gave a candid response: ‘It does. Jack Nicklaus said your career is not complete unless you win an Open at St Andrews. In a sense he’s right. It’s the oldest venue in golf, and it would have been nice to have that. But I can’t complain. I’ve got a few.’ As he showed at Carnoustie last week, Langer still has all the shots. He stood over a 12ft eagle putt at the fifth to go to five under par after five. So much for the idea he might be jaded after his Open exertions. As the round progressed, it was clear the trio were feeding off one another, as they barely missed a shot between them. Langer birdied the 18th for a 67 to be two off the lead posted by American Kirk Triplett and Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, while Irishman Paul McGinley shot 66. John Daly’s impressive 69 was made more remarkable given only 12 days ago he could barely walk owing to osteoarthritis in a knee. Like Langer, Jimenez rolled in a birdie putt at the 18th as well for a 68 — and then there was Watson. He stood over a 20ft birdie putt for the considerable achievement of shooting his age at the Old Course. ‘And I left it short,’ said Watson, a competitor to the end. ‘Just like three years ago, I dogged it on the 18th.’ He was joking this time. Five weeks shy of his 69th birthday, he shot a bogey-free 69. Just as he promised, he had made good on what happened last time.