Golf for the Ages
Was this really about to happen? Tom Watson, 59, looked over an 8-foot putt on the 18th hole at Turnberry on the final day of the British Open. If he sank it, Watson would become the oldest player ever to win a major, by an incredible 13 years, and earn his sixth British Open title on the same Scottish course where he had defeated Jack Nicklaus 32 years before, when Tiger Woods was still in diapers. But after four days of timeless golf, Watson's nerves finally caught up to his age. He missed the putt by a mile and went on to get crushed by American Stewart Cink in a four-hole playoff. Just as impressive as Watson's performance on the course was the way he coped with the loss. While the fans and media battled near depression at the thought of what had almost been, Watson remained upbeat about what he had done. "A good headline?" he said. "The old fogy almost did it."