Tom Watson (golfer)

Thomas Sturges Watson (born September 4, 1949) is an American retired professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour.

The two men would eventually develop a close and productive teacher-student relationship and friendship; Nelson had similarly mentored the young rising star Ken Venturi during the 1950s.

Watson won four Missouri State Amateur championships, 1967, 1968, 1970, and 1971.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Watson was one of the leading golf players in the world, winning eight major championships and heading the PGA Tour money list five times.

He attended Stanford University, playing on the golf and table tennis teams, joining Alpha Sigma Phi, and graduating with a degree in psychology in 1971.

Today he has a home in Overland Park, Kansas, after fighting a prominent legal battle to prevent annexation by the city.

Although he voted for George McGovern in his first presidential election, Watson later became a Republican.

He has donated to the National Rifle Association.

Watson was a member of Kansas City Country Club from the beginning of his professional career.

Watson joined the PGA Tour in 1971.

With a chance to win the tournament with par on the 72nd hole, he missed an 8 ft putt, then lost to Stewart Cink in the playoff.

He hired Bruce Edwards to be his caddie for the first time at the 1973 St. Louis tournament held at Norwood Hills Country Club, and the two connected, with Edwards caddying for Watson at most events after that for a period of many years.

Watson contended in a major championship for the first time at the U.S. Open in 1974 at Winged Foot, but he faded badly in the final round after having the 54-hole lead.

Following this disappointment, Watson was approached in the locker room by legendary retired player Byron Nelson, a broadcaster at the event, who offered encouragement, insight and assistance.

Nelson and Watson spoke briefly at that time, with Nelson saying he liked Watson's game and aggressiveness, and offered to help him improve.

Watson, although disappointed by his weak finish, was flattered to receive Nelson's interest.

However, the two men did not manage to get together to work on golf in depth until several months later, when Watson played in the Tour's Byron Nelson Classic in the Dallas area, and visited Nelson's nearby home.

Only two weeks after the Winged Foot collapse in 1974, Watson won his first Tour title at the Western Open near Chicago, coming from six shots back in the final round at Butler National.

With Nelson's guidance on swing mechanics and course management, and determined hard work, Watson's game advanced quickly, and he won his first major championship, the 1975 Open Championship, on his first appearance in the event in Britain.

Several of Watson's major victories came at the expense of Jack Nicklaus, the man he replaced as number one, most notably the 1977 Masters, 1977 Open Championship, and the 1982 U.S. Open.

Though his rivalry with Nicklaus was intense, their friendly competitiveness served to increase golf's popularity at the time.

In Watson's illustrious career, his eight major championships include five Open Championships, two Masters titles, and one U.S. Open title.

The only major that has eluded him is the PGA Championship; if he had won it would have put him in an elite group of golfing "career grand slam" winners that includes Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.

In all, Watson's eight majors ranks sixth on the list of total major championship victories, behind only Nicklaus, Woods, Walter Hagen, Hogan, and Player.

He was the number one player in the world according to McCormack's World Golf Rankings from 1978 until 1982; in both 1983 and 1984, he was ranked second behind Seve Ballesteros.

Watson is also regarded as one of the greatest links players of all time, a claim backed up by his five Open Championship victories, his runner-up finishes at the 1984 Open Championship and 2009 Open Championship, and his three Senior British Open Championship titles in his mid-50s (2003, 2005, and 2007).

He also spent 32 weeks in the top 10 of the successor Sony Rankings in their debut in 1986.

However, in 1990 he was unsettled by the idea that the leaders of the club rejected an applicant due to his Jewish faith.

Watson, whose wife at the time and two children were Jewish, stated, "It was a very personal decision. I just didn't feel my family was welcome. It was time to say, 'Hey, let's be fair to people. Let's not judge people on the basis of race or faith.'" Watson abruptly resigned in 1990.

However the Jewish applicant, H&R Block founder Henry W. Bloch, was ultimately admitted to the club as were other minorities.

Disarmed by these overtures, Watson rejoined the club.

After residing for many years in Mission Hills, Kansas, Watson moved to Stilwell, Kansas with his second wife, two children, and three stepchildren.

His house has since been annexed by the city of Overland Park.

He designed the National Golf Club of Kansas City golf course.

Watson played on four Ryder Cup teams and captained the American side to victory in 1993 at The Belfry in England.

Watson is also notable for his longevity: at nearly sixty years of age, and 26 years after his last major championship victory, he led after the second and third rounds of The Open Championship in 2009, but lost in a four-hole playoff.

More than twenty years later, Watson again captained the U.S. Team in 2014 in Scotland, this time in a loss.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Watson was introduced to the game by his father Ray.

His early coach was Stan Thirsk at the Kansas City Country Club.

Watson first gained local renown while on his high school team at The Pembroke-Country Day School in Kansas City.