Tom Watson

About Tom Watson

Thomas Sturges Watson (born September 4, 1949) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and now plays mostly on the Champions Tour.

Career Highlights:

• In the 1970s and 1980s, Watson was one of the leading players in the world, winning eight major championships and heading the PGA Tour money list five times. 
  
• Watson won his first Tour title at the 1974 Western Open, coming from six shots back in the final round.
  
• Watson won his first major championship, the 1975 Open Championship, on his first appearance in the event in Britain.
  
• 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.
  
• In Watson's illustrious career, his eight major championships included five Open Championships,two Masters titles, and one U.S. Open title.
  
• Watson is also regarded as one of the greatest links players of all time, a claim backed up by his five Open Championship victories; as well as his 2nd-place finish in the 2009 Open Championship, and his three Senior British Open Championship titles in his mid-50s (2003, 2005, and 2007).
  
• Ryder Cup-Watson played on four Ryder Cup teams and captained the American side to victory in the 1993 Ryder Cup at The Belfry in England. On December 13, 2012, Watson was announced as the captain for the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland.
  
• Due to his performance in 2009 and early 2010, along with his 1982 U.S. Open victory at Pebble Beach, the USGA awarded Watson a special exemption to the 2010 U.S. Open. 
  

Champions Tour:

• Watson joined the Champions Tour in 1999, the same year he earned an honorary membership of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland.
  
• He has 14 wins on the Champions Tour, including six senior majors, while playing a limited schedule of events.
  
• Watson shares with Gary Player three victories each in the Senior British Open
  
• Watson revisited his 1977 Open Championship win at Turnberry with another win there in the 2003 Senior British Open. He followed this up with victories in 2005 and 2007.
  

Tom Watson Achievements

Distinctions and honors:

• Named PGA Player of the Year 6 times, 1977–1980, 1982 and 1984, and trails only Tiger Woods, who has been named Player of the Year 10 times.
  
• Won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average three straight years: 1977, 1978, and 1979.
  
• Played on four Ryder Cup teams: 1977, 1981, 1983, and 1989 and captained the victorious 1993 team. Watson also qualified for the 1979 matches but withdrew from the United States team due to his wife being about to give birth. He was replaced by Mark Hayes.
  
• Voted the Bob Jones Award in 1987, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
  
• Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988.
  
• Inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame
  
• Won 1992 GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award
  
• Resigned from the Kansas City Country Club in 1991 in protest to its exclusion of people of Jewish ethnicity. He subsequently rejoined after the club's acceptance of Jewish and minority members.
  
• Became involved with golf course design in the early 1990s.
  
• Author or co-authored several books, including Tom Watson's Strategic Golf. His latest, The Timeless Swing, was released by Atria books in March 2011.
  
• Has written a golf instruction column in Golf Digest magazine since the mid-1970s.
  
• Was ranked as the 10th greatest golfer of all time in the 2000 Golf Digest magazine list.
  
• Is, after Sam Snead, only the second Golf Professional Emeritus at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
  
• Is the oldest player to hold the lead after 54 holes at a major championship (2009 Open Championship at Turnberry, Scotland)
  
• Is the oldest player to lead after any completed round at a major championship (2009 Open Championship at Turnberry, Scotland)
  
• Is the oldest player to shoot under par at the Masters Tournament (2015 Masters Tournament)
  
• Granted a lifetime membership to the European Tour
  

Professional wins:

PGA Tour wins (39)

• Western Open
  
• Byron Nelson Golf Classic
  
• The Open Championship
  
• Bing Crosby National Pro-Am
  
• Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational
  
• Masters Tournament
  
• Western Open (2)
  
• The Open Championship (2)
  
• Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open
  
• Bing Crosby National Pro-Am (2)
  
• Byron Nelson Golf Classic (2)
  
• Colgate Hall of Fame Classic
  
• Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic
  
• Sea Pines Heritage Classic
  
• MONY Tournament of Champions
  
• Byron Nelson Golf Classic (3)
  
• Memorial Tournament
  
• Colgate Hall of Fame Classic (2)
  
• Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational (2)
  
• Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open
  
• MONY Tournament of Champions (2)
  
• Greater New Orleans Open
  
• Byron Nelson Golf Classic (4)
  
• The Open Championship (3)
  
• World Series of Golf
  
• Masters Tournament (2)
  
• USF&G New Orleans Open
  
• Atlanta Classic
  
• Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open (2)
  
• Sea Pines Heritage
  
• U.S. Open
  
• The Open Championship (4)
  
• The Open Championship (5)
  
• Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship
  
• MONY Tournament of Champions (3)
  
• Western Open (3)
  
• Nabisco Championship
  
• Memorial Tournament (2)
  
• MasterCard Colonial
  

Japan Golf Tour wins (4)

1976 ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches

1980 Dunlop Phoenix

1984 Uchida Yoko Cup Japan vs USA Match

1997 Dunlop Phoenix

Other wins (4)

1975 World Series of Golf

1984 Australian Open

1992 Hong Kong Open

1994 Skins Game

Champions Tour wins (14)

• Bank One Championship
  
• IR Senior Tour Championship
  
• Senior PGA Championship
  
• Senior Tour Championship at Gaillardia
  
• The Senior Open Championship
  
• JELD-WEN Tradition
  
• The Senior Open Championship (2)
  
• Charles Schwab Cup Championship
  
• Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am
  
• The Senior Open Championship (3)
  
• Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am (2)
  
• Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Andy North)
  
• Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
  
• Senior PGA Championship (2)
  

Other senior wins (10)

• 1999 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Hale Irwin and Jack Nicklaus)
  
• 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)
  

Championships:

1975-The Open Championship

1977-Masters Tournament

1977-The Open Championship (2)

1980-The Open Championship (3)

1981-Masters Tournament (2)

1982-U.S. Open

1982-The Open Championship (4)

1983-The Open Championship (5)

Achievements and Awards:

• World Golf Hall of Fame-1988 (member page)
  
• PGA Tour leading money winner-1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984
  
• PGA Player of the Year-1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984
  
• Vardon Trophy-1977, 1978, 1979
  
• Bob Jones Award-1987
  
• Old Tom Morris Award-1992
  
• Payne Stewart Award-2003
  
• Charles Schwab Cup-2003, 2005