How many Claret Jugs does golfer Tom Watson have in his name?
Thomas Sturges “Tom” Watson (born September 4, 1949) is an American golfer who plays on the Champions Tour. In the 1970s and 1980s, Watson was one of the leading players in the world, winning eight major championships and heading the PGA Tour money list five times. He was the number one player in the world, according to McCormack’s World Golf Rankings, from 1978 through 1982, and in both 1983 and 1984 was second in those rankings behind Seve Ballesteros by only the barest of margins. He spent 32 weeks in the top 10 of the successor Sony Rankings in their debut in 1986.[1] Several of his major victories during this period came at the expense of Jack Nicklaus, the man he replaced as number one, most notably the 1977 British Open and the 1982 US Open. Though his rivalry with Nicklaus was intense it was this continuing rivalry and friendship that served to increase golf’s popularity during the time. Watson is generally regarded as one of the greatest links players of all time, a claim back
Veteran golfer Tom Watson is 18 holes away from a shock victory at the Open Championship. At 59, the five-time champion is 11 years older than the previous oldest major winner. After falling from two ahead to one behind with three holes of his third round to play Watson, back at the scene of his 1977 “Duel in the Sun” victory over Jack Nicklaus, produced some inspired play to regain the lead. Watson leads by one on four under par, with Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington nowhere in sight. His closest challengers are Tasmanian Mathew Goggin and England’s Ross Fisher on 69 and 70 respectively. Sources: http://itn.co.uk/a39edb2c55c058daa1a3ada08dda0368.
Here’s the part in the ESPN article where I gleaned the information: Watson won four of his claret jugs in Scotland, none more memorable than at Turnberry. “I feel inspired playing here,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with just being in the presence here at Turnberry again, just a culmination of a lot of things that have gone on already. I feel that I’m playing well enough to win the golf tournament. It doesn’t feel a whole lot out of the ordinary from 32 years ago, except that I don’t have the confidence in my putting as I had 32 years ago. “But again,” he said, flashing that famous grin, “a few of them might go in.” Sources: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/britishopen09/news/story?
