Jul
10
Tom Watson - what a loser
I’m tired of all this talk about Tom Watson being the “consummate professional” and all that baloney.
I wanted to see him throw a club during his truly horrendous collapse at the U.S. Senior Open at Whistling Straits. This was a meltdown of stupendous proportions, starting the day with a three-stroke lead and skyrocketing to a 78 to finish five strokes back.
Yes, he was magnanimous. Yes, he tried to the very end. Yes, he answered all the media’s questions.
He even grinned at the end, waving his cap to the crowd. It was unnatural.
This is what’s wrong with Tom Watson. He’s an automaton. If he was human, he’d have thrown a putter, cursed, dome SOMETHING to let us know what he was feeling inside.
Instead, he acted like he was having a bad day with a bunch of friends at the local club, instead of blowing the only senior major he’s never won.
Golfers need to show emotions. Watson’s going to have a heart attack one day if he keeps all those emotions bottled up. Maybe he doesn’t have any. Or maybe he just doesn’t care.
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20 comments
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor] 
Tim,
You missed the boat here. The last thing we need is yet another athlete setting a bad example for kids. And such behavior, I might add, would be most unseemly in a 57 or 58 year old man.
As for what's wrong with Watson, he's had an extremely balky putter for the last 22 years. And it's not just that this happens in the clutch; it happens ALL the time.
He just lost his ability to sink the short putts consistently.
You missed the boat here. The last thing we need is yet another athlete setting a bad example for kids. And such behavior, I might add, would be most unseemly in a 57 or 58 year old man.
As for what's wrong with Watson, he's had an extremely balky putter for the last 22 years. And it's not just that this happens in the clutch; it happens ALL the time.
He just lost his ability to sink the short putts consistently.
07/10/07 @ 16:48
Comment from: 2under [Visitor]
Tim,
I am assuming you have your tongue planted firmly in cheek with this story.
But if you have a hint of seriousness to this, I would suggest that Mr. Watson is used to this. His struggle with USGA championships is well-chronicled, and I would surmise that his collapse may have been self-prophesized, so dealing with the collapse in the manner in which he did is understandable.
I thought Greg Norman handled his collapses well. Some at his own hand, some at the hand of others. Though I have never been a great fan of the "Shark", I am a fan with how has dealt with defeat.
I wish I was able to be so collected.
I am assuming you have your tongue planted firmly in cheek with this story.
But if you have a hint of seriousness to this, I would suggest that Mr. Watson is used to this. His struggle with USGA championships is well-chronicled, and I would surmise that his collapse may have been self-prophesized, so dealing with the collapse in the manner in which he did is understandable.
I thought Greg Norman handled his collapses well. Some at his own hand, some at the hand of others. Though I have never been a great fan of the "Shark", I am a fan with how has dealt with defeat.
I wish I was able to be so collected.
07/10/07 @ 17:45
Comment from: Booger [Visitor]
The only guy who wasn't a loser was
Brad Bryant. Why not bash some of
Crenshaw's troubles on Saturday? Is your
attention span that short?
Brad Bryant. Why not bash some of
Crenshaw's troubles on Saturday? Is your
attention span that short?
07/11/07 @ 12:54
Crenshaw didn't start the day with a three-shot lead, Dilbert.
07/11/07 @ 13:04
Comment from: Michael [Visitor]
Ouch - we praise Tiger's in-your-face antics (sorry, I know there are many Tiger fans out there) but heap scorn upon someone acting classy in the midst of a horrible round in a senior major?
Should we blast Tim Duncan the next time he loses a game and doesn't lash out at his coach? Or the next time Mickelson blows a tournament and still smiles, signs autographs and answers questions?
07/11/07 @ 13:26
Comment from: Michael [Visitor]
Sorry, I forgot to mention something. I know it's petty, but a national (well paid) sportswriter should understand 6th grade Language Arts ... it should be "If he WERE human ..."
07/11/07 @ 13:28
Michael: the grammatical error is acknowledged, not the "well-paid" assumption.
07/11/07 @ 13:51
Comment from: Shanks [Visitor]
Or maybe Watson's just a better person than most of us. Do you think Arnold Palmer threw a hissy fit around the back nine of the Olympic Club in the 1966 US Open when he lost that 7 shot lead to Billy Casper? It used to be that gentlemanly behavior was expected, regardless of outcome.
07/11/07 @ 15:17
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]
Yes, Shanks and Michael, that was my point too. If we keep on demeaning the virtuous and exalting the vice-ridden, guess what? We'll have a lot of the latter and precious few of the former. That's one reason why people end up with corrupt government.
07/11/07 @ 15:28
Comment from: Visitor [Visitor]
Personally, I could care less about the US Senior Open. Where was the media when Watson finished T18, T41, and T48 in the last 3 British Opens that he played in?
That's pretty impressive when you consider that he will be 58 years old this September.
I predict that he will make the cut again this year as well. And I also predict that the media won't notice it….again.
07/12/07 @ 14:02
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]
Visitor,
That's a great point. Watson swings the club as well as he ever has, still has great flexibility and power and plays at a very high level. In all fairness, McDonald wasn't speaking of his ball-striking ability but his mental toughness. Of course, I don't agree with TM's assessment, though.
That's a great point. Watson swings the club as well as he ever has, still has great flexibility and power and plays at a very high level. In all fairness, McDonald wasn't speaking of his ball-striking ability but his mental toughness. Of course, I don't agree with TM's assessment, though.
07/12/07 @ 17:23
Comment from: Visitor [Visitor]
Judge Smails,
My sincere apologies for my last post.
I do hate it when I make a mistake.
I forgot that Tom Watson will not play at Carnoustie this year because of a conflict with his daughter's marriage date.
This should in no way detract from the fact that he has won more British Opens than any other American or that he won an amazing 5 of 9 Opens from 1975-1983.
However, I am still disappointed that other "serious" golf fans and writers did not catch this mistake before I did.
My sincere apologies for my last post.
I do hate it when I make a mistake.
I forgot that Tom Watson will not play at Carnoustie this year because of a conflict with his daughter's marriage date.
This should in no way detract from the fact that he has won more British Opens than any other American or that he won an amazing 5 of 9 Opens from 1975-1983.
However, I am still disappointed that other "serious" golf fans and writers did not catch this mistake before I did.
07/13/07 @ 19:59
Comment from: Dan [Visitor]
Tim,
Are you working on a story about how Morgan choked at the Jamie Farr Classic or is she too small of a player yet.
Are you working on a story about how Morgan choked at the Jamie Farr Classic or is she too small of a player yet.
07/16/07 @ 08:04
Comment from: Pablo Escobar [Visitor]
Dan--Major winners should never be considered "small players". Gawky girls who are overpaid, overhyped and have 0 career wins are by definition "small".
07/16/07 @ 09:37
Comment from: Tommy [Visitor]
Dan,
I caught the last few holes of the Jamie Farr. What's your definition of choking? She started the day two shots off the lead, shot a 68 and was beaten by a Hall of Famer, a winner of the event 5 times. The last hole got away from her needing to make up a shot. Pak played great golf. How does that equate to choking? You seem to be a very peety little person!
I caught the last few holes of the Jamie Farr. What's your definition of choking? She started the day two shots off the lead, shot a 68 and was beaten by a Hall of Famer, a winner of the event 5 times. The last hole got away from her needing to make up a shot. Pak played great golf. How does that equate to choking? You seem to be a very peety little person!
07/16/07 @ 16:14
Comment from: Dan [Visitor]
Tommy,
Morgan Pressel got a very fortuitous sideway bounce for a hole in 1 to give her a 3 shot lead. Admittedly Pak went on to birdie the same hole to cut the lead to 2, but that is still a two shot lead and Pressel didn't make another birdie until the 17th hole.
Then on 18 just one shot off the lead she hit a pull hook into the trees. You should know this despite ESPN pulling the plug on it to avoid showing more tears from the crybaby.
Some of the blog writers were all over Lorena for supposedly choking away the US Open. Why aren't these people writing about Morgan's choke. Why didn't they write about how Morgan shot 77 in that same last group as Lorena at the US Open when Lorena supposedly choked but of course no critisism of Morgan.
Tim where is your blog on Morgan?
Didn't you write a blog or was it Chris Baldwin who wrote the blog about Lorena at the US Open.
Morgan Pressel got a very fortuitous sideway bounce for a hole in 1 to give her a 3 shot lead. Admittedly Pak went on to birdie the same hole to cut the lead to 2, but that is still a two shot lead and Pressel didn't make another birdie until the 17th hole.
Then on 18 just one shot off the lead she hit a pull hook into the trees. You should know this despite ESPN pulling the plug on it to avoid showing more tears from the crybaby.
Some of the blog writers were all over Lorena for supposedly choking away the US Open. Why aren't these people writing about Morgan's choke. Why didn't they write about how Morgan shot 77 in that same last group as Lorena at the US Open when Lorena supposedly choked but of course no critisism of Morgan.
Tim where is your blog on Morgan?
Didn't you write a blog or was it Chris Baldwin who wrote the blog about Lorena at the US Open.
07/16/07 @ 18:44
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