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Tom Watson  |
EXEMPT STATUS: Top 31 on 2002 Champions Tour Money List FULL NAME: Tom Watson HEIGHT: 5-9 WEIGHT: 175 BIRTHDATE: September 4, 1949 BIRTHPLACE: Kansas City, MO RESIDENCE: Stilwell, KS FAMILY: Wife, Hilary; Meg (9/13/79), Michael Barrett (12/15/82), stepchildren Kyle (9/23/86), Paige (4/22/89), Ross (8/31/91) EDUCATION: Stanford University (1971, Psychology) SPECIAL INTERESTS: Current affairs, outdoor life TURNED PROFESSIONAL: 1971 JOINED TOUR: 1999 |
| PGA TOUR Victories |
| (39) 1974 Western Open. 1975 Byron Nelson Golf Classic, British Open Championship. 1977 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, Masters Tournament, Western Open, British Open Championship. 1978 Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open, Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Colgate Hall of Fame Classic, Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic. 1979 Sea Pines Heritage Classic, MONY Tournament of Champions, Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Memorial Tournament, Colgate Hall of Fame Classic. 1980 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, MONY Tournament of Champions, Greater New Orleans Open, Byron Nelson Golf Classic, British Open Championship, World Series of Golf. 1981 Masters Tournament, USF&G New Orleans Open, Atlanta Classic. 1982 Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, Sea Pines Heritage, U.S. Open Championship, British Open Championship. 1983 British Open Championship. 1984 Seiko/Tucson Match Play Championship, MONY Tournament of Champions, Western Open. 1987 Nabisco Championship. 1996 Memorial Tournament. 1998 MasterCard Colonial. |
| Champions Tour Victories |
| (4) 1999 Bank One Championship. 2000 IR SENIOR TOUR Championship. 2001 Senior PGA Championship. 2002 SENIOR TOUR Championship at Gaillardia. |
| International Victories |
| 1999 Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge (with Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin). 1999 Diner's Club Matches (with Jack Nicklaus). 2000 Hyundai Team Matches (with Jack Nicklaus). |
| Other Victories |
| 1980 Dunlop Phoenix. 1984 Australian Open. 1992 Hong Kong Open. 1994 Skins Game. 1997 Dunlop Phoenix. |
| Current Year Charles Schwab Cup Points and Positions |
| 218 (18) |
| Current Year Champions Tour Money and Positions |
| $284,278 (17) |
| Current Year Best Champions Tour Finishes |
| T2--ACE Group Classic |
| Current Year PGA TOUR Best Round |
| 75 at Round 1, Masters Tournament |
| Current Year Champions Tour Best Round |
| 64 at Round 1, Emerald Coast Classic |
| Current Year Champions Tour Highlights |
| Opened his season with a T4 at the MasterCard Championship...Posted three consecutive rounds in the 60s at The ACE Group Classic to T2 with Des Smyth, his third runner-up effort in Naples in the last four events. |
| Best PGA TOUR Finishes |
| 1--1974 Western Open. 1975 Byron Nelson Golf Classic, British Open Championship. 1977 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, Masters Tournament, Western Open, British Open Championship. 1978 Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open, Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Colgate Hall of Fame Classic, Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic. 1979 Sea Pines Heritage Classic, MONY Tournament of Champions, Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Memorial Tournament, Colgate Hall of Fame Classic. 1980 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, MONY Tournament of Champions, Greater New Orleans Open, Byron Nelson Golf Classic, British Open Championship, World Series of Golf. 1981 Masters Tournament, USF&G New Orleans Open, Atlanta Classic. 1982 Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, Sea Pines Heritage, U.S. Open Championship, British Open Championship. 1983 British Open Championship. 1984 Seiko/Tucson Match Play Championship, MONY Tournament of Champions, Western Open. 1987 Nabisco Championship. 1996 Memorial Tournament. 1998 MasterCard Colonial. |
| Best Champions Tour Finishes |
| 1--1999 Bank One Championship. 2000 IR SENIOR TOUR Championship. 2001 Senior PGA Championship. 2002 SENIOR TOUR Championship at Gaillardia. |
| Best 2002 PGA TOUR Finishes |
| 7--MasterCard Colonial |
| Best 2002 Champions Tour Finishes |
| 1--SENIOR TOUR Championship at Gaillardia, 2--ACE Group Classic, T2--Royal Caribbean Classic, SAS Championship, 4--SBC Championship, 5--The Countrywide Tradition, T10--Toshiba Senior Classic, Uniting Fore Care Classic Presented by Novell, |
| 2002 Season PGA TOUR |
| Tournaments Entered--4; in money--3; Top 10 finishes--1 |
| 2002 Season Champions Tour |
| Tournaments Entered--14; in money--14; Top 10 finishes--10 |
| 2002 Season Highlights |
| For the second time in the last three years, saved his best for last and won the season-ending SENIOR TOUR Championship at Gaillardia. Opened with a 2-over 74, but played the last 52 holes of the event without making a bogey (17-under) despite cold, rainy weather in Oklahoma City. Became just the third multiple winner (M. Hill, Floyd) of the last official tournament of the campaign and $440,000 paycheck was his largest as a professional. Earned 440 Charles Schwab Cup points and vaulted from 10th position into fourth in the final points standings (1,582 points - $200,000 annuity)...Came close to winning four other events during the year...Contended down the stretch at the rain-shortened Royal Caribbean Classic before eventually T2 along with Isao Aoki and Bruce Fleisher, one stroke behind John Jacobs. Took the lead briefly midway through the final round, but lost his momentum with a three-putt bogey on the par-4 15th hole at Crandon Park...Also went head-to-head down the stretch with Hale Irwin at The ACE Group Classic before losing by one stroke. Went for the green in two at the par-5 17th hole, but came up short in the water and eventually made a bogey. Made his first hole-in-one on the Champions Tour and 13th of his career in the opening round (16th hole, 6-iron, 156 yards) at TwinEagles...Recorded third consecutive second after losing in a playoff to Tom Kite at SBC Senior Classic. Chipped in for eagle from 123 feet on the 54th hole to force Kite to make a five-foot birdie putt to tie. Kite won with a par on the second playoff hole...Lost to Don Pooley in a playoff for the U.S. Senior Open at Caves Valley. Played his last 10 holes in 5-under to catch Pooley and then matched him with three pars and a birdie in overtime before finally falling to Pooley's birdie on No. 18, the fifth extra hole...Was also one of three players to T2 at the SAS Championship behind Bruce Lietzke...Played four events on the PGA TOUR...Made his 29th appearance at the Masters and finished T40. Was the only Champions Tour player to make the cut, the 23rd time he has played on the weekend at Augusta National...Finished solo seventh at the MasterCard Colonial, his 11th career top-10 effort at Colonial and his best PGA TOUR finish since T9 at the 2000 PGA Championship...Missed the cut at the British Open, but made the cut in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine and shot 67 on Sunday to tie Tiger Woods for the low round of the day. |
| Career Highlights |
| 2001: Won his first Champions Tour major title. Triumphed at the Senior PGA Championship in New Jersey. After opening with a 72, followed with rounds of 69-66-67 to nip Jim Thorpe by one stroke at Ridgewood Country Club...Troubled much of the early portion of the year with a strained ligament in his right elbow that he injured while working out just prior to the Masters...Inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame during the week of the Siebel Classic in Silicon Valley. 2000: Went over the $1-million mark in season earnings for the first time in his career with $1,146,361...Saved his best for the last official event of the season, claiming the IR SENIOR TOUR Championship in Myrtle Beach. Was T3 after 54 holes, but fired a 6-under-par 66 on the final day for the victory. Held off a late charge by John Jacobs for a one-stroke win. Win at TPC of Myrtle Beach made him the first to claim season-ending events on both TOURs (won '87 Nabisco Championship of Golf)...Lost twice in playoffs. Was one of four players involved in the overtime session at the ACE Group Classic, eventually falling to Lanny Wadkins...Along with Larry Nelson, lost in a three-way playoff to Tom Kite at The Countrywide Tradition...Also battled Larry Nelson until the final hole at the Boone Valley Classic before finishing solo second in St. Louis...T9 at the PGA Championship near Louisville, the best performance by a senior in that event since Sam Snead T3 in 1974. Matched his career-best round in a PGA Championship when he posted a 65 on Saturday at Valhalla. 1999: Claimed his first Champions Tour win in his second start, the Bank One Championship in Dallas...At the time, became the third-youngest player ever to win a Champions Tour event at 50 years, 15 days. Gil Morgan (50 yrs, 11 days/1996 Ralphs Senior Classic) and George Archer (50 yrs., 14 days/1989 Gatlin Brothers Southwest Classic)...Made debut on the Champions Tour at the Comfort Classic just six days after turning 50. |
| Personal |
| Big fan of hometown Kansas City Royals...Active in Kansas City area charitable endeavors, including Children's Mercy Hospital and development of golf courses for junior players...In 1999, was made an honorary member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, joining fellow Americans Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, former President George Bush and the late Gene Sarazen...Bayer Advantage Invitational will be held at The National Golf Club of Kansas City, a course he designed. |
| PGA TOUR Playoff Record |
| 8-4 |
| Champions Tour Playoff Record |
| 0-4 |