Watson with a huge par save on 14. Still tied for the lead at -3. Watson must finish at -3 or better to play in the last group tomorrow. Westwood is already in at -2 and Goggin at -3. They would be the last group should Watson falter. And of course Marino is playing alongside him today and is at -2, so he could factor in as well.
Bogies 15 after landing in the bunker on the par 3 hole. Watson comes back with another outstanding 20+ footer for birdie on 16 to get back to -3. Uh, note to the rest of the field. Watson is going nowhere.
Fisher and Goggin appear headed to be in the final pairing tomorrow at -3, unless Tom can get it to -4. I actually prefer Tom to be in the 2nd to last group tomorrow. I think it will be less pressure on him.
Tom's going to feel some nerves no matter what group he's in. The good thing is they will be miniscule compared to what those chasing him will be feeling. Bring it home Tom. :crystal: (imagine it's a Claret jug)
I remember back in the late 70s not liking Watson at all since I was a Nicklaus fan. He beat Jack a few too many times for my liking. Now, I will be pulling for him like crazy tomorrow to defy Father Time.
The key for Watson tomorrow will be his putter (and short game for that matter). He has made a bunch of precarious par putts as well as those scintillating long birdie putts. Can he keep it going on Sunday to close the deal? I don't see him driving poorly and I am certain he will be smart on his iron play and be safe on the greens.
I was at the 2000 Open out here at Pebble. Got free tix through a vendor for the Friday session. The group we followed was Nicklaus, Tom Kite, and Watson. They were all previous Open winners and a great threesome to follow. I made several comments in passing to both Nicklaus and Watson, and Jack pretty much ignored me but Watson actually acknowledged me several times. Yeah, I'll be at the 2010 Open at Pebble next year. Hoping that TW will be back there. I'm rooting for him all the way. PS His post-play comments have been HILARIOUS!!!!!
I agree with this. Watson's downfall the last 20 years has been his putter. He just never could drop an 18 footer for birdie, like Tiger has. This week he has, he's got some great putts. Can it continue tomorrow? I hope so.
I beg to differ. Tom could make the 18 footer for birdie. It was the 4 footers for par that were his Achille's heel.
