TURNBERRY, Scotland — Tom Watson’s round should have slipped away from him Saturday, not only because he is 59 and cannot, by any reasonable measure, be expected to be leading the British Open, but because he ran into some of the problems Turnberry’s Ailsa course presents.
The wind howled off the Firth of Clyde. His ball bounced a couple of places he wished it hadn’t. And at one point, the lead he had held all day slipped away.
“I didn’t let that bother me,” Watson said.
At this point in his career — and at this point in a week that can now, officially, be described as magical — what could bother Watson?
He has felt that chilly breeze off the Scottish coast before. He has made bogey, and will again, and recovered. And now, as he carries the lead into today’s final round of the British Open, he has shown every single person who has walked the sod here that he has the swing and the temperament to do the unthinkable: win.
“He kind of had it going bad there a little bit, but it was like nothing fazed him at all, you know what I mean?” said Steve Marino, who entered Saturday’s third round tied with Watson and played with him on an inspiring day. “He was just out there just playing golf and not even worrying about it. You would think maybe he might be nervous, being 59, trying to win the British Open. But he was just cool, calm and collected.”
For one of sport’s all-time great stories to be completed, Watson must do that over 18 more holes. His 1-over-par 71 on Saturday gave him a three-round total of 4-under 266, a shot better than Mathew Goggin of Australia and Ross Fisher of England. Those two are seeking their first major championships. Watson owns eight, the last taken in 1983.
If he is to take the ninth major, a stunning 26 years later, he would have to do what he has done to this point: play smart, hit the fairways, make clutch, hand-jittering putts to save par, and some others of miraculous lengths that just happen to fall in.
His performance here has been defined by some memorable moments on the greens, pray-they-roll-in efforts on both the 16th and the 18th in Friday’s second round, and another 25-footer for birdie on 16 on Saturday, a stroke that thrust him back into a tie for the lead with Goggin.
“Every now and then, it works, you know?” Watson said. “And boy, is it working at the right time now.”
The putter worked too at the third hole, when Watson made an exceptional par save by burying an 8-footer. It helped again at the fifth, when he found himself in a greenside bunker, hit a decent shot 15 feet past the hole and made the putt. Yes, he three-putted the ninth from perhaps 60 feet, and yes, he stabbed at a 6-footer that didn’t drop at the 12th. But when Watson has needed something clutch this week, he has, somehow, summoned it.
“When you have that feel around the greens, that keeps you going,” he said. “You’re not thinking any negative thoughts.”
As all this happened, Turnberry was turning itself into a different course, a ferocious but sun-splashed course that sported a serious crosswind. The breeze, which stiffened as the day went on, flew in directly from the ocean.
Marino, who entered the round tied with Watson, plummeted from contention when he played one four-hole stretch in 5-over. Other likely challengers — including 1989 Open champ Mark Calcavecchia, who at 49 entered play one off the lead — could not muster a run. Calcavecchia shot 77. First- round leader Miguel Angel Jimenez shot 76. And no one in the final six groups broke par.
The 19th hole
Hole of the day
455-yard, par-4 16th
Scoring average: 4.41
Rank: Third
Key fact: Tom Watson made a long birdie putt for the second day in a row, rolling in a 30-footer that moved him back into the lead. Ross Fisher also made birdie and is only one stroke back heading into the final round, while Steve Marino three-putted for double bogey and sits five strokes off the lead.
The Associated Press
Daly watch
John Daly was in need of quick cash when he agreed to a merchandising deal with Loudmouth Golf, and the result is his European Tour clothing that surpasses loud — wildly colored pants that look like holdovers from the Summer of Love.
“It’s been great. We’ve had a blast with it,” Daly said. “It’s something different, and sales are good.”
The company has 28 styles of slacks, and he’s eager to wear every one of them. Of course, he’s never been afraid to stand out.
“I didn’t have any deals,” Daly said. The company’s owner, a longtime friend, asked, “Do you want to wear my pants?” Daly recalled. “And I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll wear ’em.’ ”
Denver Post wire services
Quote of the day
“I don’t ever get to play Tiger. So I don’t give a damn about Tiger.” – Tom Watson, when asked if it helped not having Woods in his rearview mirror heading into the final round
Walking tall
Bryce Molder.
Unknown shoots the low round of the day with a 3-under-par 67 and enters the final round four shots off the lead.
Lee Westwood.
The steadiest player in the field trails the leader by two shots.
Tom Watson.
Dropped a couple of strokes during his round but battled back for a 1-over 71 and the lead entering the final round.
Downward spiral
Mark Calcavecchia.
Pretty much shot himself out of the tournament, dropping five strokes over the final six holes on his way to a 77.
Padraig Harrington.
No three-peat for the 2007-08 winner after a third-round 76 left him 13 shots off the lead.
Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Shot an opening-round 64 but has since played at 9-over.
The Denver Post
