Jolly Old England

The state of the PGA today two names come to mind: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Dealing with a tragedy such as his wife being diagnosed with breast cancer, the field was one big name short as Phil Mickelson opted out of the tournament to be with his wife. Unfortunately for golf Tiger Woods did not make the cut and with his lack of performance the biggest name in the sport today was out of the British Open. Normally losing both Phil and Tiger would maim the tournament and leave the average fan with no interest in The Open. It took a name from another generation to bring the interest back to the tournament. After three days 59 year old Tom Watson held a 1 stroke lead going into the final 18 holes on Sunday. Watson captivated the hearts of many who believed that he could become the oldest person to win a major by almost 11 years. Going into the 18th hole Watson had a chance to win the British Open with an 8 foot putt but his shot was offline and tapped in to force a playoff. Unfortunately as Watson said himself "The wheels fell off" and he bogeyed 3 of the last 4 holes and the other hole he double bogeyed. Let us not let the magnitude of what happened at Turnberry this weekend. Despite his finish, Tom Watson who is a major blast from the past held his own with a field that was about 20 years his minor. Moreover he, like Greg Norman the year before, brought a compelling story to another Tiger-less British Open. Hats off to you Tom Watson, thank you for sweeping us off our feet and taking us on a journey and making us believe in a great story.