Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
No Woods, no problem … but for how long?
Tiger Woods hacked and shanked his way to a two-round score of five over par at this year’s British Open, missing just the fifth cut of his professional career and only his second in a major championship.
Facing a Tige
r-less weekend must have had television executives and sponsors sweating. The 2008 British Open, which Woods missed recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, saw TV ratings of the final round on ABC plummet 13.3 percent from the previous year.
But the ’09 British Open had a secret weapon, Tom Watson.
The 59 year-old self proclaimed ‘geezer’ was battling not only course, but he was fighting father time. A victory would have made him the oldest major champion on the PGA tour by 11 years.
After 54 holes, Watson looked poised to shatter the record as he led the field heading into Sunday’s final round at Turnberry.
Cink keeps it simple to win Open
Monday’s British newspapers will be awash with puns about Stewart Cink-ing the putt that won him the Open and his first major.
The American triumphed in a playoff with veteran Tom Watson, who might be the victim of some further tabloid tomfoolery given he certainly suffered a sinking feeling after as his game fell apart on the extra holes.
British Open proves elementary for Watson, tough on Tiger
It is fair to say we all expected an American with a surname beginning with W to be soaring up the British Open leaderboard but everyone has been shocked that it is 59-year-old senior Tom Watson topping the strong field and not a certain Tiger Woods.
Whilst the world number one toiled in calm conditions at Turnberry’s Ailsa course on Thursday, five-times Open champion Watson was recording a bogey-free five-under-par 65 to take the early clubhouse lead.
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Resident Left Field Expert
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