Still Hasn't Cinked In

AP Photo (John Super)

British Open 2009 had everything a golf fan could want, well, except Tiger Woods for the weekend. Although much was made on Friday as Tiger missed the cut, that will only be a mere footnote when we look back at this tremendous Open Championship. The other "TW" will be the player remembered, Tom Watson finished in 2nd place after having a huge chance to give us one of the best sports stories of all time.

Golf is a sport that gives you the drama of the most tense situations of any sport on a routine basis, especially in majors. That is why I think the back 9 of a major is the best thing that happens on the sports calendar, All three of the majors this year has been the equivalent of a player on the free-throw line with his team down by one in basketball, or a two minute drive for the win in football, or a shootout in hockey, or a closer trying to get the final out in baseball. I think you get the point, all of these situations are tense, and this is the reason we watch. In golf, we have had three championship level tense moments this year, and once again someone couldn't come through.

First on the list, The Masters, where Kenny Perry, at 48 years old, emerged to be a crowd favorite, amongst the Woods-Mickelson pairing when he held a lead going into the back 9, and a 2 shot lead with 2 holes to play. But, a bogey-bogey finish after 22 straight holes without a bogey forced him into a playoff with Angel Cabrera and Chad Campbell. In the playoff, Angel Cabrera won the hole and got to wear the green jacket. In the U.S. Open, Ricky Barnes at one point had a score of -12, and a 5 stroke lead. In the final day, Barnes fell apart, shooting a 76 and falling out of contention, giving Lucas Glover the U.S. Open title. And finally, the Britsih Open, probably the most disappointing of all, Tom Watson missed a par putt on the 18th hole for the win, and eventually lost in a 4-hole playoff to Stewart Cink.

This was heartbreaking, because this could have been the best, Tiger-less golf story that my generation has ever seen. Watson was playing the best, using his craftiness to make up for his lack of strength off the tee. He knew how to play the course, I guess 59 years and 5 British Open titles helps with that aspect. After birding 17 , it hit him on 18. Can I really win this tournament? All I need to do is sink this 10 foot putt and I would be the most incredible story in golf history. This isn't a layup, but it is a putt that he has made many times during this Open. As soon as he struck the ball, Watson knew it was off target. Watching it on replay, you could tell he rushed the putt, and it never really had a chance. After that, maybe it was his age, maybe it was his confidence, but he never had his rhythm in the 4 playoff holes. Stewart Cink took didn't make mistakes and won.

Watson said after the tournament that, "It will tear at my gut... it would have been a hell of a story". Maybe it won't win an ESPY next year, but many great things have come from Watson's amazing run. First of all, many more people will have an appreciation for the history of golf. It is refreshing to have a reminder that Tiger Woods did not invent golf. We had many great golfers, and tournaments before him. Even before the tournament, ESPN ran a story on the 1977 British Open at Turnberry, where Tom Watson upstaged Jack Nicholas in one of the best golf tournaments of all time. Each day after Watson remained in contention, they played that story. I think that is great for the sport of golf, people need to appreciate the history of the game to completely understand the context of what they are watching. Another positive outcome from this tournament was that this in inspiration for other older golfers. I guarantee you that plenty of older people were watching this tournament and decided that they were going to go into the attic, dust of the old clubs, and start golfing again. Look out at your local country club.

Rick Riley and Mike Tirico (Syracuse Class of '88) of ABC/ESPN over the air said something that sums it up best. "Thank You Tom Watson". As he put in his final put on the 4th playoff hole, everyone knew what he meant. Thank you for giving us a story in a Tiger-less weekend. Thank you for giving us a flashback of what golf used to be. Thank you for being another example of the reason we watch sports. However, we are all left wondering what would have been.