Thomas Sturges Watson (born September 4, 1949) is an American professional golfer. 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.
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 career, his eight major wins include five Open Championships, 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, Tiger Woods, Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, and Gary 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.
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Early life
Watson was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He was introduced to the game by his father, Ray. His early coach was Stan Thirsk at the Kansas City Country Club. Watson first gained local renown while on his high school team at The Pembroke-Country Day School in Kansas City.
Amateur career
Watson won four Missouri State Amateur championships: in 1967, 1968, 1970, and 1971. He attended Stanford University, playing on the golf and table tennis teams, and joined Alpha Sigma Phi. He graduated with a degree in psychology in 1971.
Professional career
PGA Tour
Watson joined the PGA Tour in 1971. He hired Bruce Edwards to be his caddie for the first time at the 1973 St. Louis tournament held at Norwood Hills Country Club, and the two connected, with Edwards caddying for Watson at most events after that for a period of many years.
Watson contended in a major championship for the first time at the U.S. Open in 1974 at Winged Foot, but he faded badly in the final round after having the 54-hole lead. Following this disappointment, Watson was approached in the locker room by legendary retired player Byron Nelson, a broadcaster at the event, who offered encouragement, insight and assistance. Nelson and Watson spoke briefly at that time, with Nelson saying he liked Watson's game and aggressiveness, and offered to help him improve. Watson, although disappointed by his weak finish, was flattered to receive Nelson's interest. However, the two men did not manage to get together to work on golf in depth until several months later, when Watson played in the Tour's Byron Nelson Classic in the Dallas area, and visited Nelson's nearby home. The two men would eventually develop a close and productive teacher-student relationship and friendship; Nelson had similarly mentored the young rising star Ken Venturi during the 1950s.
Only two weeks after the Winged Foot collapse in 1974, Watson won his first Tour title at the Western Open near Chicago, coming from six shots back in the final round at Butler National. With Nelson's guidance on swing mechanics and course management, and determined hard work, Watson's game advanced quickly, and he won his first major championship, the 1975 Open Championship, on his first appearance in the event in Britain. Watson holed a 20-foot putt for a birdie on the 72nd hole to tie Jack Newton. The following day Watson won an 18-hole playoff at Carnoustie by a stroke, carding a 71 to Newton's 72. Watson was able to gain the upper hand in the playoff after chipping in for an eagle at the 14th hole. Watson is one of only four players since World War II to have won the Open Championship on their debut, the others being Ben Hogan (1953), Tony Lema (1964) and Ben Curtis (2003).
Watson won his second major championship and his first green jacket as Masters champion in 1977 after a duel with Jack Nicklaus. During the final round, Watson stood on the 17th green tied with Nicklaus for the lead. Watson holed a 20-foot putt for a birdie to go one stroke ahead of Nicklaus. Watson's par on the 18th hole won him the Masters title by two strokes after Nicklaus had a bogey on the 18th.
Champions Tour
In 1999, Watson joined the Champions Tour. He has 14 wins on the Champions Tour, including six senior majors, while playing a limited schedule of events. Watson shares with Gary Player and Bernhard Langer three victories for each in the Senior Open Championship. Watson revisited his 1977 Open Championship win at Turnberry with another win there in the 2003 Senior Open Championship. He followed this up with victories in 2005 and 2007.
Since he turned 50, Watson has also had some success in the regular major championships. At the 2003 U.S. Open, at age 53, he shared the opening-round lead by shooting a 65 with his long-time caddy Bruce Edwards carrying his clubs and giving advice. Edwards had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease earlier in the year, and Watson contributed significant time and money that year with Edwards to raise money for research into finding a cure for motor neuron disease. Edwards died on April 8, 2004.
During his senior career, Watson is probably best known for his performance at the 2009 Open Championship. In the first round of the event, held at Turnberry, Watson shot a 5-under 65, one stroke behind the leader Miguel Ángel Jiménez. In the second round, he tied for the lead after making a huge putt on the 18th green. His score for the round was 70, 38 out and 32 back. This made Watson – at 59 years of age – the oldest man to have the lead after any round of a major. In addition, with a relatively low-scoring third round, one-over-par 71, he kept the lead outright by one shot, so also became the oldest player to lead a major going into the last round. He acknowledged after that 3rd round he was thinking of Bruce Edwards as he walked the 18th fairway. Watson finished regulation 72-hole play in the Open tied for the lead with Stewart Cink, with a cumulative score of −2. He needed a par on the 72nd hole to capture a sixth career Open Championship title, but his second shot, who Watson mentioned as 'I like it' when he hit it, landed on a hard spot near the front of the green, on the 72nd hole and went over the green. Then, from several yards behind the 18th green, Watson first putted up the slope and past the hole, then missed a second 8-foot putt by about 6 inches to the right of the cup. His bogey led to a four-hole aggregate playoff with Cink, running through the 5th, 6th, 17th, and 18th holes. With several errant shots not typical of the previous 72 holes, he lost the playoff by six strokes. In an interview in 2012, Watson admitted that he was "distraught" at coming so close to becoming the oldest Major winner at the age of 59 and said that the experience in the 2009 Open Championship "tore his guts out". Watson said of his approach shot to the green at the 72nd hole, when he needed a par to win the Open: "I was going right at the flag but with the uncertainty of links golf, maybe a gust of wind took it a bit further than it was supposed to. I felt extreme disappointment that night but the one good thing that came of that was the response of people around the world."
Playing style
Years later, if a player escaped from trouble and somehow made par, tour players described the escape as a "Watson par".
Watson also developed a reputation for scrupulous honesty, once even calling a penalty stroke on himself for slightly moving a ball that was in deep rough, although no one else had seen it. In 1991, Watson was critical of the heckling of his playing partner Ian Woosnam during the final round of the Masters. Some of the Augusta crowd were vociferous in their support for Watson, in the hope of seeing him win a third Masters title. Watson, however, calmed Woosnam after he was upset at being yelled at by a member of the crowd on the 14th tee. Watson later said: "There's been a breakdown in decorum, and I don't feel good when partisanship spills over."
In 2010, Watson said that he agreed with Lee Westwood's assertion that Tour players who used 20-year-old Ping-Eye 2 wedges to get around new rules prohibiting box grooves (i.e., grooves rectangular [including square] or U-shaped in cross-section) were going against "the spirit of the game." Watson also reprimanded Tiger Woods for his "language and club-throwing" and said that Woods needed to "show humility" to the public.
Watson has been outspoken about the effect that too much prize money can have on some golfers. In an interview in 2010, Watson said: "I do believe that, in certain instances, players can be corrupted by the amount of money they make. I think too much money corrupts the desire and for some players it's about how much money they make rather than just trying to be the best player they can."
Personal life
In 1972, Watson married Linda Rubin. They had two children. In 1997, they divorced. Two years later, he married Hilary Watson. They were married for twenty years until her death in 2019. Three years after her death, in 2022, he married Leslie Anne Wade. However, they separated later in the year.
Watson was a member of Kansas City Country Club from the beginning of his professional career. However, in 1990 he was unsettled by the idea that the leaders of the club rejected an applicant due to his Jewish faith. Watson, whose wife at the time and two children were Jewish, stated, "It was a very personal decision. I just didn't feel my family was welcome. It was time to say, 'Hey, let's be fair to people. Let's not judge people on the basis of race or faith.'" Watson abruptly resigned in 1990. However the Jewish applicant, H&R Block founder Henry W. Bloch, was ultimately admitted to the club as were other minorities. Disarmed by these overtures, Watson rejoined the club.
Watson has also been involved in politics. Although he voted for George McGovern in his first presidential election, Watson later became a Republican. He has also donated to the National Rifle Association. In addition, Watson was a prominent participant in the unsuccessful legal effort to prevent the annexation of the area in which he lives by Overland Park, Kansas.
After residing for many years in Mission Hills, Kansas, Watson moved to Stilwell, Kansas, with his second wife, two children, and three stepchildren. His house has since been annexed by the city of Overland Park. He designed the National Golf Club of Kansas City golf course.
Awards and honors
Watson has been named PGA Player of the Year six times: in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, and 1984
Watson won the Vardon Trophy, the PGA Tour's award for lowest scoring average, three straight years: 1977, 1978, and 1979.
Watson won the PGA Tour money list five times (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984)
In 1987, Watson was selected for the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association (USGA) in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
In 1988, Watson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
Watson was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame
In 1992, Watson won the GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award
In 2000, Golf Digest ranked Watson as the 10th greatest golfer of all time.
In 2003, Watson was the Champions Tour money list winner
In 2003, Watson earned the Payne Stewart Award
In 2003, Watson earned the Champions Tour's Player of the Year award
In 2003, Watson was selected for the Byron Nelson Award, bestowed to the golfer with the season's lowest scoring average on the Champions Tour
In 2003 and 2005, Watson was the Champion Tour's Charles Schwab Cup winner
Amateur wins
1967 Missouri State Amateur
1968 Missouri State Amateur
1970 Missouri State Amateur
1971 Missouri State Amateur
Professional wins (70)
PGA Tour wins (39)
PGA Tour playoff record (9–5)
European Tour wins (8)
European Tour playoff record (1–3)
PGA of Japan Tour wins (4)
PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (0–1)
Champions Tour wins (14)
Champions Tour playoff record (3–8)
Other senior wins (9)
1999 Diners Club Matches (with Jack Nicklaus)
2000 Hyundai Team Matches (with Jack Nicklaus)
2004 Wendy's Champions Skins Game
2005 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Raphael Division (with Andy North)
2006 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Raphael Division (with Andy North)
2007 Wendy's Champions Skins Game (with Jack Nicklaus), Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Raphael Division (with Andy North)
2010 Wendy's Champions Skins Game (with Jack Nicklaus)
2011 Wendy's Champions Skins Game (with Jack Nicklaus)
Major championships
Wins (8)
1Defeated Newton in 18-hole playoff; Watson (71), Newton (72)
Results timeline
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1976 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
Most consecutive cuts made – 19 (1985 Open Championship – 1990 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 7 (1982 Masters – 1983 Open Championship)
Results in The Players Championship
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
Senior major championships
Wins (6)
1Defeated Mason in a playoff with par at the second extra hole.
2Defeated Smyth in a playoff with par at the third extra hole.
3Defeated Eger in a playoff with birdie at the first extra hole.
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order before 2017.
Note: The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003.
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
Professional
Ryder Cup (representing the United States): 1977 (winners), 1981 (winners), 1983 (winners), 1989 (tie), 1993 (non-playing captain, winners), 2014 (non-playing captain)
Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Senior PGA Tour): 1999 (winners), 2000, 2001
Golf courses designed
Watson is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and has designed golf courses through his Tom Watson Design company in Johnson County, Kansas.
Ballybunion Golf Club – County Kerry, Ireland (1995 redesign)
Cassique Golf Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
National Golf Club of Kansas City, Parkville, Missouri (Route 45 which passes the course is called the "Tom Watson Parkway")
Independence Course at Reunion Resort & Club, Orlando, Florida
Phoenix Resort, Miyazaki, Japan
The Links at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach, California (with Sandy Tatum and Robert Trent Jones, Jr.)
Shadow Glen the Golf Club, Olathe, Kansas (with Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf)
Loch Lloyd Country Club, Village of Loch Lloyd, Missouri (Renovation)
The Conservatory, Hammock Beach resorts, Palm Coast, Florida
Mozingo Lake Golf Course (Junior 9 course), Maryville, Missouri
The Manor Golf & Country Club, Milton, Georgia