2 days later

As Tom Watson walked up the 18th fairway approaching the green of the final (or so we thought) 72nd hole at Turnberry, he must have been thinking about the 8 iron shot he had just hit that Johnny Miller exclaimed "was nuked." The 8 iron approach shot hit once on the green taking a firm hop and a skip over the putting surface and into the light rough. Tom Watson was not dead; rather, he was in a familiar position, up and down to win, 2 strokes, level par, chip and a putt. This was to be the greatest golf miracle that the world had ever witnessed. As Tom approached the ball, he seemed satisfied with the lie, satisfied enough to pull out his putter. The on site commentator did not see the club he had in hand and asked the broadcast booth what they thought Tom would use, 7 iron or sand wedge. Still, even after seeing what club he had selected, no one dared to question old Tom, a virtual golf immortal, 5 time winner of the British Open and long time hall of famer. The camera was focused on Watson's shot from behind him, as Watson putted the ball from the rough...two shots to be the oldest person to win the open, older by ten years, "the difference of a 5th grader," Miller joked. Watson struck the putt and it seemed like he wailed it, as it bounced treacherously up the hill and 8 feet past the hole. You know what happens next, Watson misses the putt short right and the moment passes, leaving us, the spectators thinking about what could have been, mourning our lost opportunity to witness history, as we go back to our mundane 9-5 lives. the brutal reality is that people don't usually remember "a good try."

So it's a real shame about what happened but I have to say that I still have a lot of respect for Tom Watson. What I like most about him is his demeanor throughout his rounds, his lack of affect and his steady concentration. His steady, reserved emotional display is shown in his neutral facial expression with maybe a hint of a half smile every now and then. Before every hole he would walk out in front of the tee box and stare out at the fairway, calculating, strategizing, seeing the field, concentrating intensely on the task at hand. As he looked out at that 18th fairway, he had a content, unwavering look on his face, with his hands behind his back; he looked, well, like a guy that was soaking it all in, trying to bask in every minute of it. My hat goes off to you Tom, you are a class act, a gentleman and a role model for the game of golf.