Tom Watson (golfer)

Tom Watson
Watson during 2008 Open Championship
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Sturges Watson
Born	September 4, 1949 (1949-09-04) Kansas City, Missouri
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Stilwell, Kansas
Career
College	Stanford University
Turned professional	1971
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour (joined 1972) Champions Tour (joined 1999) European Seniors Tour (joined 2011)
Professional wins	70
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	39 (tied 10th all time)
Japan Golf Tour	4
Champions Tour	14
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 8)
Masters Tournament	Won: 1977, 1981
U.S. Open	Won: 1982
The Open Championship	Won: 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983
PGA Championship	2nd: 1978
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

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

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. 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 now also notable for defying age: at nearly 60 years of age, and 26 years after his last major championship victory, he led much of the 2009 Open Championship, but eventually lost in a four-hole playoff. With a chance to win the tournament with par on the 72nd hole, he missed an eight-foot putt, before losing the playoff to Stewart Cink.

Several of Watson's major victories came at the expense of Jack Nicklaus, the man he replaced as number one, most notably the 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 during the time.

Watson's eight major championships included five Open Championships, two Masters titles, and one U.S. Open title. The only major that has eluded him is the PGA Championship, which would put him in an elite group of golfing "grand slam" winners that includes Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, and Tiger Woods. In all, Watson ranks 6th on the list of total major championship victories, behind only Hogan, Nicklaus, Player, Woods, and Walter Hagen.

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).

Early years and education

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Watson 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. Watson won four straight Missouri State Amateur championships, from 1968–1971. He attended Stanford University, playing on the golf team and graduating with a degree in psychology in 1971.

PGA Tour

Watson joined the PGA Tour in 1971 after a very good amateur career, and gradually improved. He hired Bruce Edwards to be his caddie for the first time at the 1973 St. Louis tournament, 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 in the 1974 U.S. Open at the Winged Foot Golf Club, 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, Watson won his first Tour title at the 1974 Western Open, coming from six shots back in the final round. 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 at Carnoustie.

Watson's 1977 Open Championship victory, at Turnberry in Scotland, was especially memorable, and is considered by many to be the finest tournament played in the second half of the 20th century. After two rounds, he and Jack Nicklaus were one shot out of the lead and paired for the third round. Both shot 65, ending the third round three shots clear of the field. Watson and Nicklaus were again paired for the final round. On the last day, the two were tied after 16 holes. Nicklaus missed a makeable birdie putt on 17, losing his share of the lead to Watson, who birdied 17. On the 18th, Nicklaus drove into the rough, while Watson drove the fairway. Watson's approach landed two feet from the flag, while Nicklaus, after a drive into deep rough and near a gorse plant, managed to get his approach 40 feet away. Nicklaus sank his birdie putt to finish with a 66, but Watson followed suit with his own birdie, finishing with a second straight 65 and his second Open, with a record score of 268 (12 under par). The two players finished well ahead of the other challengers (Hubert Green in third place was ten strokes behind Nicklaus, at 279), and shot the same score every round except for the final day, which was then played on Saturday.

Watson's U.S. Open win, in 1982 at Pebble Beach, was equally memorable. Playing two groups ahead of Watson in the final round, Nicklaus charged into a share of the lead with five consecutive birdies. When Watson reached the par-3 17th hole the two were still tied, but with Nicklaus safely in the clubhouse at 4 under par 284. Watson hit his tee shot on 17 into the rough just off the green, leaving an extremely difficult chip shot downhill on a very fast green that sloped toward the Pacific Ocean. While being interviewed on national television and fully aware of Watson's terrible predicament, Nicklaus appeared confident he was on his way to an unprecedented fifth U.S. Open championship. Watson's chip shot, amazingly, hit the flag stick and fell into the cup, giving him a miraculous birdie and setting the stage for yet another win over Nicklaus. Watson went on to birdie the 18th as well, for a final margin of two shots. His 17th hole chip-in was named the greatest shot in golf history by ESPN. The U.S. Open was the major he most wanted to win, and thus victory in the 1982 U.S. Open allowed Watson to realize his dream, though it would be the only U.S. Open title of his career.

Watson's stellar play on the PGA Tour faded in the late 1980s when he began to have problems putting even though his tee-to-green game seemed to improve. In 1994 when The Open Championship returned to Turnberry, the site of his 1977 victory, Watson commented, "Sometimes you lose your desire through the years. Any golfer goes through that. When you play golf for a living, like anything in your life, you are never going to be constant, at the top". He finished tied for 11th at the Open Championship that year, but he had a revival in the late 1990s and the last of his 39 wins on the PGA Tour came at the 1998 MasterCard Colonial when he was 48 years old. He also demonstrated remarkable consistency by making at least one PGA Tour cut per year from 1971–2007, a streak of 37 years.

In the 2003 U.S. Open, at age 53, he took 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 Bruce to raise money for motor neuron disease. Edwards died on April 8, 2004.

Later in 2003, Watson revisited his 1977 Open Championship win at Turnberry with another win there in the 2003 Senior British Open. He also won the Senior British Open tournament in 2005 and 2007.

In the first round of the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry, Watson shot a first-round 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 on the 72nd hole 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 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.

The following April, Watson competed in the 2010 Masters Tournament. Watson shot an opening-round 67, one shot off the first-round lead held by fellow Champions Tour player Fred Couples. Watson subsequently posted rounds of 74, 73, and 73. His 72-hole, one-under par total of 287 gave Watson a share of eighteenth place. Watson thus became only the second player in history, after Sam Snead, to post a top twenty finish in at least one major championship in five different decades.

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. He finished the tournament tied for 29th. Watson is the only golfer to participate in all major professional championships contested at Pebble Beach: 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, and 2010 U.S. Opens, and the 1977 PGA Championship.

Watson got an ace on the 6th hole during the second round of the 2011 Open Championship. It was the second ace of the week after Dustin Johnson got one on 16 the day before.

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 was one of two players to play with Jack Nicklaus in the final two rounds of golf in Nicklaus' career, which ended at the 2005 Open Championship on the Old Course at St Andrews. Englishman Luke Donald was the third member of the group.

After residing for many years in Mission Hills, Kansas, Watson now lives in Stilwell, Kansas with his wife, two children, and three stepchildren. He designed the National Golf Club of Kansas City golf course.

Playing style

Watson has been one of the most complete players ever to play golf, as evidenced by his competitiveness in the 2009 Open Championship at the age of 59. Standing 5 ft 9 in and weighing 160 pounds during his PGA Tour years, he achieved abundant length with accuracy, played aggressively, developed a superlative short game, and in his prime was a very skilled and confident putter. Watson is renowned as an exceptional bad-weather golfer, having displayed this gritty talent best in the difficult and sundry conditions of The Open Championship. He 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.

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 9 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.
• 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, will be 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)
• Granted a lifetime membership to the European Tour

Professional wins (70)

PGA Tour wins (39)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jun 30, 1974	Western Open	+3 (72–71–75–69=287)	2 strokes	J. C. Snead, Tom Weiskopf
2	May 12, 1975	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	-19 (72–63–69–65=269)	2 strokes	Bob E. Smith
3	Jul 12, 1975	Open Championship	-9 (71–67–69–72–72=279)	Playoff	Jack Newton
4	Jan 23, 1977	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	-15 (66–69–67–71=273)	1 stroke	Tony Jacklin
5	Jan 30, 1977	Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational	-19 (66–67–67–69=269)	5 strokes	Larry Nelson, John Schroeder
6	Apr 10, 1977	Masters Tournament	-12 (70–69–70–67=276)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
7	Jun 26, 1977	Western Open	-5 (70–69–75–69=283)	1 stroke	Wally Armstrong, Johnny Miller
8	Jul 9, 1977	Open Championship	-12 (68–70–65–65=268)	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus
9	Jan 8, 1978	Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open	-14 (63–68–73–72=274)	3 strokes	Bobby Wadkins
10	Jan 23, 1978	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	-8 (66-74-71-69=280)	Playoff	Ben Crenshaw
11	May 7, 1978	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	-8 (69–67–70–66=272)	1 stroke	Lee Trevino
12	Aug 27, 1978	Colgate Hall of Fame Classic	-7 (72–67–67–71=277)	1 stroke	Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Howard Twitty
13	Sep 24, 1978	Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic	-18 (68–69–66–67=270)	3 strokes	Ed Sneed
14	Apr 1, 1979	Sea Pines Heritage Classic	-14 (65–65–69–71=270)	5 strokes	Ed Sneed
15	Apr 22, 1979	MONY Tournament of Champions	-13 (69–66–70–70=275)	6 strokes	Bruce Lietzke, Jerry Pate
16	May 13, 1979	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	-5 (64–72–69–70=275)	Playoff	Bill Rogers
17	May 27, 1979	Memorial Tournament	-14 (72–67–68–67=274)	3 strokes	Miller Barber
18	Aug 26, 1979	Colgate Hall of Fame Classic	-12 (70–68–65–69=272)	Playoff	Johnny Miller
19	Jan 27, 1980	Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational	-13 (68–69–68–70=275)	Playoff	D. A. Weibring
20	Feb 24, 1980	Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open	-8 (69–66–70–71=276)	1 stroke	Bob Gilder, Don January
21	Apr 20, 1980	MONY Tournament of Champions	-12 (65–66–72–73=276)	3 strokes	Jim Colbert
22	Apr 28, 1980	Greater New Orleans Open	-15 (66–68–66–73=273)	2 strokes	Lee Trevino
23	May 11, 1980	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	-6 (64–70–69–71=274)	1 stroke	Bill Rogers
24	Jul 20, 1980	Open Championship	-13 (68–70–64–69=271)	4 strokes	Lee Trevino
25	Aug 24, 1980	World Series of Golf	-10 (65–75–65–65=270)	2 strokes	Raymond Floyd
26	Apr 12, 1981	Masters Tournament	-8 (71–68–70–71=280)	2 strokes	Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus
27	Apr 26, 1981	USF&G New Orleans Open	-18 (69–69–64–68=270)	2 strokes	Bruce Fleisher
28	Jun 7, 1981	Atlanta Classic	-11 (68–70–68–71=277)	Playoff	Tommy Valentine
29	Feb 21, 1982	Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open	-13 (69–67–68–67=271)	Playoff	Johnny Miller
30	Mar 28, 1982	Sea Pines Heritage	-4 (69–68–72–71=280)	Playoff	Frank Conner
31	Jun 20, 1982	U.S. Open	-6 (72–72–68–70=282)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
32	Jul 18, 1982	Open Championship	-4 (69–71–74–70=284)	1 stroke	Peter Oosterhuis, Nick Price
33	Jul 17, 1983	Open Championship	-9 (67–68–70–70=275)	1 stroke	Andy Bean, Hale Irwin
34	Jan 8, 1984	Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship	2&1	1 stroke	Gil Morgan
35	May 6, 1984	MONY Tournament of Champions	-14 (69–71–67–67=274)	5 strokes	Bruce Lietzke
36	Jul 8, 1984	Western Open	-8 (71–69–70–70=280)	Playoff	Greg Norman
37	Nov 1, 1987	Nabisco Championship	-12 (65–66–69–68=268)	2 strokes	Chip Beck
38	Jun 2, 1996	Memorial Tournament	-14 (70–68–66–70=274)	2 strokes	David Duval
39	May 24, 1998	MasterCard Colonial	-15 (68–66–65–66=265)	2 strokes	Jim Furyk

PGA Tour playoff record (9-4)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1975	Open Championship	Jack Newton	Won 18-hole playoff (Watson:71, Newton:72)
2	1978	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	Ben Crenshaw	Won with par on second extra hole
3	1978	PGA Championship	Jerry Pate, John Mahaffey	Mahaffey won with birdie on second extra hole
4	1979	Masters Tournament	Ed Sneed, Fuzzy Zoeller	Zoeller won with birdie on second extra hole
5	1979	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	Bill Rogers	Won with birdie on first extra hole
6	1979	Colgate Hall of Fame Classic	Johnny Miller	Won with par on second extra hole
7	1980	Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational	D. A. Weibring	Won with par on first extra hole
8	1981	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	Bruce Lietzke	Lost to par on first extra hole
9	1981	Atlanta Classic	Tommy Valentine	Won with par on third extra hole
10	1982	Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open	Johnny Miller	Won with birdie on third extra hole
11	1982	Sea Pines Heritage Classic	Frank Conner	Won with par on third extra hole
12	1984	Western Open	Greg Norman	Won with birdie on third extra hole
13	1988	NEC World Series of Golf	Mike Reid	Lost to par on first extra hole

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 (3)

• 1984 Australian Open
• 1992 Hong Kong Open
• 1994 Skins Game

Champions Tour wins (14)

Legend Champions Tour major championships (6) Other Champions Tour (8)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Sep 19, 1999	Bank One Championship	-20 (67–67–62=196)	5 strokes	Bruce Summerhays
2	Nov 5, 2000	IR Senior Tour Championship	-18 (70–67–67–66=270)	1 stroke	John Jacobs
3	May 27, 2001	Senior PGA Championship	-14 (72–69–66–67=274)	1 stroke	Jim Thorpe
4	Oct 22, 2002	Senior Tour Championship at Gaillardia	-14 (74–67–66–67=274)	1 stroke	Gil Morgan
5	Jul 27, 2003	Senior British Open	-17 (66–67–66–64=263)	Playoff	Carl Mason
6	Aug 31, 2003	JELD-WEN Tradition	-15 (68–62–73–70=273)	1 stroke	Jim Ahern, Tom Kite
7	Jul 24, 2005	Senior British Open	-4 (75–71–64–70=280)	Playoff	Des Smyth
8	Oct 30, 2005	Charles Schwab Cup Championship	-16 (69–70–69–64=272)	3 strokes	Jay Haas
9	Feb 18, 2007	Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am	-4 (70–69–70=209)	1 stroke	Andy Bean, Jay Haas
10	Jul 29, 2007	Senior British Open	E (70–71–70–73=284)	1 stroke	Stewart Ginn, Mark O'Meara
11	Apr 20, 2008	Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am	-9 (63–71–70=204)	1 stroke	Jay Haas, Scott Hoch
12	Apr 27, 2008	Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Andy North)	-31 (59–62–64=185)	1 stroke	Craig Stadler and Jeff Sluman
13	Jan 24, 2010	Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai	-22 (63–66–65=194)	1 stroke	Fred Couples
14	May 29, 2011	Senior PGA Championship	-10 (70–70–68–70=278)	Playoff	David Eger

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)

Major championships

Wins (8)

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1975	The Open Championship	3 shot deficit	−9 (71–67–69–72=279)	Playoff 1	Jack Newton
1977	Masters Tournament	Tied for lead	−12 (70–69–70–67=276)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
1977	The Open Championship (2)	Tied for lead	−12 (68–70–65–65=268)	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus
1980	The Open Championship (3)	4 shot lead	−13 (68–70–64–69=271)	4 strokes	Lee Trevino
1981	Masters Tournament (2)	1 shot lead	−8 (71–68–70–71=280)	2 strokes	Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus
1982	U.S. Open	Tied for lead	−6 (72–72–68–70=282)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
1982	The Open Championship (4)	3 shot deficit	−4 (69–71–74–70=284)	1 stroke	Peter Oosterhuis, Nick Price
1983	The Open Championship (5)	1 shot lead	−9 (67–68–70–70=275)	1 stroke	Andy Bean, Hale Irwin

¹ Defeated Jack Newton in 18-hole playoff – Watson (71), Newton (72)

Results timeline

Tournament	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
The Masters	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	T8	T33	1	T2	T2
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	T29	CUT	T5	T9	7	T7	T6	CUT
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	1	CUT	1	T14	T26
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	T12	T11	9	T15	T6	2	T12

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
The Masters	T12	1	T5	T4	2	T10	T6	T7	T9	T14
U.S. Open	T3	T23	1	2	T11	CUT	T24	2	T36	T46
The Open Championship	1	T23	1	1	T2	T47	T35	7	T28	4
PGA Championship	T10	CUT	T9	T47	T39	T6	T16	T14	T31	T9

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
The Masters	T7	T3	T48	T45	13	T14	CUT	4	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	CUT	T16	CUT	T5	T6	T56	T13	64	CUT	T57
The Open Championship	CUT	T26	CUT	CUT	T11	T31	DNP	T10	CUT	CUT
PGA Championship	T19	CUT	T62	5	T9	T58	T17	CUT	CUT	CUT

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
The Masters	CUT	CUT	T40	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	T27	DNP	DNP	T28	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	T55	CUT	CUT	T18	DNP	T41	T48	DNP	CUT	2
PGA Championship	T9	T66	T48	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

Tournament	2010	2011
The Masters	T18	CUT
U.S. Open	T29	DNP
The Open Championship	CUT	T22
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP

DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tied for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

• Starts – 133
• Wins – 8
• 2nd place finishes – 8
• Top 5 finishes – 25
• Top 10 finishes – 46
• Longest streak of top-10s – 7 (1982 Masters to 1983 Open Championship)

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (6)

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
2001	Senior PGA Championship	Tied for lead	−14 (72–69–66–67=274)	1 stroke	Jim Thorpe
2003	Senior British Open Championship	3 shot deficit	−17 (66–67–66–64=263)	Playoff 1	Carl Mason
2003	JELD-WEN Tradition	1 shot deficit	−15 (68–62–73–70=273)	1 stroke	Jim Ahern, Tom Kite, Gil Morgan
2005	Senior British Open Championship (2)	1 shot lead	−4 (75–71–64–70=280)	Playoff 2	Des Smyth
2007	Senior British Open Championship (3)	1 shot deficit	E (70–71–70–73=284)	1 stroke	Stewart Ginn, Mark O'Meara
2011	Senior PGA Championship (2)	1 shot deficit	−10 (70–70–68–70=278)	Playoff 3	David Eger

¹ Defeated Carl Mason in a playoff with par at the second extra hole.
² Defeated Des Smyth in a playoff with par at the third extra hole.
³ Defeated David Eger in a playoff with birdie at the first extra hole.

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2011.

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
The Tradition	2	DNP	5	1	T55	T9	T14	T6	T3	T5
Senior PGA Championship	T17	1	T18	T17	T4	T27	T23	T52	T16	4
Senior British Open Championship	-1	-1	-1	1	T22	1	T23	1	T5	T8
U.S. Senior Open	T10	T16	2	2	T25	T5	2	4	T23	T43
Senior Players Championship	T18	T8	DNP	T2	DNP	T3	T17	2	DNP	2

Tournament	2010	2011
The Tradition	T15	T32
Senior PGA Championship	T18	1
Senior British Open Championship	T24	T3
U.S. Senior Open	5	DNP
Senior Players Championship	66	T28

¹ The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003

DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Golf courses designed

Tom Watson Parkway at the National Golf Club in Parkville

Watson has designed golf courses through his Tom Watson Design company in 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

See also

• Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• Golfers with most major championship wins
• Golfers with most Champions Tour wins
• Golfers with most Champions Tour major championship wins
• Most wins in one PGA Tour event
• Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

External links

• Official website
• Tom Watson at the PGA Tour official site
• Tom Watson at the European Tour official site
• Tom Watson at the Japan Golf Tour official site
• Tom Watson at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
• Tom Watson on About.com – profile and stats
• Tom Watson Profile at Golf Legends
• Best and worst: Tom Watson – The Sunday Times article July 12, 2009