Watson: Open defeat not easy to take

Tom Watson is furious with himself for not giving this year’s Open Championship at Turnberry the incredible climax it deserved.

“It tears at your gut, as it always has torn at my gut – it’s not easy to take,” said Watson of the last-hole bogey and play-off collapse which stopped him becoming the oldest major champion in history.

All the 59-year-old had to do to equal the six Claret Jug record set by Harry Vardon way back in 1914 was hit a nine iron onto the green from the middle of the 72nd fairway and two-putt for the most astonishing victory the game has ever seen.

But he decided on an eight iron, sent it just off the back edge and from there raced his first putt eight feet past and missed the return.

On Watson’s own admission “the wheels then came off” in the four-hole play-off with fellow American Stewart Cink, who took his first major title at two under par to Watson’s four over.

Eleven years older than Julius Boros was when he set the record for oldest major winner at the 1968 US PGA, Watson now moves on to Sunningdale for the Senior British Open starting on Thursday.

But nothing he does there can grab the attention of the sporting world in the way he did right from his opening 65 last Thursday.

Back on the course where his “Duel in the Sun” with Jack Nicklaus took place in 1977 – he matched his great rival’s closing birdie to win by one then - Watson dominated the week.

“It would have been a hell of a story, wouldn’t it,” he said to reporters after first of all breaking the silence by commenting: “This ain’t a funeral, you know.”

Asked by one to suggest a headline for his heroic effort to rewrite the record books Watson suggested: “The Old Fogey Almost Did It.”

Meanwhile Cink today admitted he had “mixed feelings” about being the man who prevented Watson from winning.

“I’m filled with pride and honour, there’s too many words to use to describe the way I feel to even start the list,” said the 36-year-old after claiming his first Major title.

“Having outlasted this field on this golf course with the way the weather tried to beat us down the last three days, it’s something that I’ll never forget. It’s great to be the one left.

“And I have to be honest, playing against Tom in the play-off, it’s mixed feelings because I’ve watched him with such admiration all week.

“Before the play-off I think I said something like ’Great playing this week, let’s play great in this play-off’. Then at the end, once I hit my shot on the green on 18, I was able to sit back and not only enjoy myself walking up to the green but also reflect a little bit about what Tom Watson just did in front of all of us.”