The Open Championship - 2009

[metallicat]

That sucks.

[FanIn80]

Yeah that Flames jersey was pretty awesome! Sucks for Watson though. Would have been a pretty nice story indeed.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

Man, Watson got destroyed in the 4 hole playoff. Cink wins by 6 strokes.

Yeah, that miss on 18 really hurt and he just ran out of gas.
Amazing that he lasted this long. Most people were expected him to blowup much earlier than in a playoff.

Made for a very memorable Sunday.

[The Goon]

You could see Tom was mentally and physically exhausted.

A bittersweet ending, but he certainly provided the same inspiration and integrity that he's given me for 30+ years. Quite the gentleman.

[Sylvanfan]

Yeah, thats too bad it had to end that way for Watson. That second shot at 18 will stick in his memory for a while, if it's 6 yards less, he easily wins the tournament. Still have to give Cink some credit, he made a great birdie on 18 and played a very solid playoff. Nice to see him finally win a major, too bad it was at the expense of Watson after he played so well for 71 holes.

[browna]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Wow...did he gack that last putt...but that was set up by what i think was poor choice in putting his 3rd. A little 6 iron pitch would of kept the ball more on line and likely would not of run by as far.

Damn....i just hope he has enough fortitude to go 4 more holes after this.

Game of inches. I think if his approach landed just 3 ft shorter, it doesn't roll down the back, and its an easy two putt.
Can't disagree witht he putter, as that's what he used all weekend. If he chunks any iron out of that little bit of grass, it may not make it up that hill and rolls back down and in big trouble.

It was a safe shot, and the grass behind the putter didn't slow it up as much as he thought.

The next putt...well, he should've probably take a moment and more time with it, knowing full well if he doesn't make it, he's probably not going to win...and he knew all that after he hit it. One thing not to think about it too much and do the same routine, its another to try and calm the nerves that extra 30 seconds.

[HOOT]

Flames jersey was the best part of that Championship.

[valo403]

That playoff was tough to watch, nothing left in Watson's tank.

One thing that works out well for his legacy though is the exposure he received. I'm pretty new to the game in terms of watching on TV and such and I had no idea how accomplished he was prior to this tournament, I knew he was good but not that good. If anything at least a lot more people now no that he's right up there with some of the big names when it comes to major victories.

[Five-hole]

Really too bad. I had butterflies when Watson teed off on the 18th and hit a near-perfect tee shot. That would have really been something.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

Man, Watson got destroyed in the 4 hole playoff. Cink wins by 6 strokes.

In fairness Watson looked like a physicaly tired 59 year old man. Not many his age would have survived 4 rounds and a playoff. His legs gave out in the playoffs not alowing his body a full turn which caused him to hit his drives in the rough.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Dion

In fairness Watson looked like a physicaly tired 59 year old man. Not many his age would have survived 4 rounds and a playoff. His legs gave out in the playoffs not alowing his body a full turn which caused him to hit his drives in the rough.

Nothing to do with age in this case.

Westwood is 23 years younger and he started pulling shots left down the last 4 or 5 holes, shooting himself out of contention. Mentally he was done...so was Watson after missing that on 18 after being so close.

Battling and the roller coaster all weekend..down in the final round, then tied with 2 others, then a lead into 18. A perfect tee shot, a 2nd shot that landed 2 feet too long and rolled an extra 15 feet down the back of the green. A slighlt mi put out of the rough. Too much mentally...as soon as he missed halfhearted putt on 18, one pretty much knew he was gutted. Watson's supposedly not been secretive about his nerves in his career when he's been in leads.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by browna

Nothing to do with age in this case.

Westwood is 23 years younger and he started pulling shots left down the last 4 or 5 holes, shooting himself out of contention. Mentally he was done...so was Watson after missing that on 18 after being so close.

Battling and the roller coaster all weekend..down in the final round, then tied with 2 others, then a lead into 18. A perfect tee shot, a 2nd shot that landed 2 feet too long and rolled an extra 15 feet down the back of the green. A slighlt mi put out of the rough. Too much mentally...as soon as he missed halfhearted putt on 18, one pretty much knew he was gutted. Watson's supposedly not been secretive about his nerves in his career when he's been in leads.

Something to consider.....

Staying fit and maintaining endurance is a challenge, though.

"You lose distance, because of loss of muscle. You lose flexibility in your shoulders and your spine. You can't rotate, you can't generate the same clubhead speed to hit the ball very hard," Gregory said.

To stay in the game, an older athlete must be fit beyond what is needed for his specific sport, said Ralph Reiff, an athletic trainer and director of a sports performance program at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. That means cross-training with weights, and biking or swimming to maintain cardiovascular fitness.

What we focus on is flexibility and range of motion, because those are the things that leave us as we get older, and also endurance. That's the one area that might have caught up with Tom a little bit," Reiff said of Watson, who fell apart in the playoff round on Sunday.

"Maybe a little fatigue sets in that wouldn't have set in for a younger person," Foster agreed. "It's still a repetitive sport, and stuff adds up after awhile."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...H0ATgD99HU1I80

[Sylvanfan]

I think that he was done mentally, after missing that putt on 18. At that point it's likely the andrenaline wears off and suddenly the physical fatigue starts to show up too and he starts hitting shots off line. It's hard for any golfer to give up the lead on the final hole and than have to go in the playoff against a guy who's totally jacked up that he just was given an oppurtunity to win the tournament. If Watson is the guy waiting in the club house and Cink misses the putt on 18 to set up the playoff. The playoff could be a totally different game.

[WeAreTheCofRed]

Hey - if anyone still has the final round of the Open on their PVR or has a decent quality photo of the guy in the Flames jersey at Turnberry, could you email it to promotions@calgaryflames.com??

We would love to have it for something that is in the works here.

Thanks in advance!

[HOOT]

For anyone who missed it:

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by browna

Nothing to do with age in this case.

Westwood is 23 years younger and he started pulling shots left down the last 4 or 5 holes, shooting himself out of contention. Mentally he was done...so was Watson after missing that on 18 after being so close.

Battling and the roller coaster all weekend..down in the final round, then tied with 2 others, then a lead into 18. A perfect tee shot, a 2nd shot that landed 2 feet too long and rolled an extra 15 feet down the back of the green. A slighlt mi put out of the rough. Too much mentally...as soon as he missed halfhearted putt on 18, one pretty much knew he was gutted. Watson's supposedly not been secretive about his nerves in his career when he's been in leads.

Yeah everyone choked except Cink who hung in there. I thought he had choked away his chance with the missed short birdie on 17 but he sucked it up and somehow birdied the tough 18.

He fought hard to win his first major. It would be a shame if it continues to be overshadowed by Watson losing. I hope Cink wins another major soon.

[habernac]

Nice

Nicklaus, 69, the "Golden Bear" who won a record 18 major titles between 1962 and 1986, was so intrigued by the action that he watched the entire last round from his Florida home.
"Jack told me: 'Watson, that's the first time I ever sat down and watched all 18 holes of any golf tournament, ANY golf tournament,' " a smiling Watson said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/briti...ory?id=4345421

[malcolmk14]

Article for the Tiger haters.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=4347419

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Article for the Tiger haters.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=4347419

I think I agree with everything that article says.

He's grown in every other way. He's committed, responsible, smart, funny and the most talented golfer in history. I just thought we'd be over the conniptions by now.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Article for the Tiger haters.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=4347419

You know, I love Tiger, but that article is spot on. The way Reilly frames it, he's right on the money, he has to show more discipline than that. Now, I swear like a drunken sailor and so frankly that doesn't bother me, or the occasional hissy fit club slam...but if he's doing it a lot (which I think at Turnberry, he was) he's got to cut it down.

I get it, the guy is emotional, which is why it's great when he's doing well, because he fist pumps and all that, but Watson did the double fist pump, and as Reilly says, when getting murdered in the playoff, play it like a true gentlemen. Sure he swiped his club a few times in frustration, but nothing like the axe job I saw woods doing on the tee box.