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Watson Survives ‘Test'
Tom Watson In Position To Win First Senior Open
By Stuart Hall
Kohler, Wis. – Tom Watson wanted to hear the winds whistle at The Straits Course.
So after somewhat docile breezes made for decent scoring conditions in the opening two rounds, winds of up to 25 miles per hour swirled about Whistling Straits during Saturday's third round of the U.S. Senior Open.
"This is what I wanted. And this is what I got," Watson said. "And fortunately, I struggled through with a 1-over-par round."
Despite the 73, Watson did not lose any of the three-stroke lead he held through 36 holes. Watson, 57, and seeking his first U.S. Senior Open title after three runner-up finishes, sits at 7-under 209, three shots ahead of Loren Roberts (1-over 73) at 4-under 212.
John Ross (70), Scotland's Sam Torrance (71) and Argentina's Vincente Fernandez (74) are at 3-under 213, while another half dozen players - including
Senior PGA Championship winner Denis Watson of Zimbabwe - are at 2-under 214.
"Unless [Tom Watson] was going to run away with it, we were all going to get back into it with a half-decent day," Torrance said.
Tom Watson, a five-time British Open champion who continues to find Whistling Straits a vexing puzzle with each
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| Tom Watson, with driver in hand Saturday, holds a three-stroke lead on Loren Roberts. (John Mummert/USGA) |
round, dropped a stroke at the first hole en route to a 3-over outward 39. And when Tom Watson bogeyed the 415-yard, par-4 ninth, he dropped into a three-way tie with Roberts and Torrance.
Roberts, 52, bogeyed the 10th as Tom Watson made birdie, but then got up and down for birdie at the 552-yard, par-5 11th and drained a 20-foot birdie putt at the 14th to catch Tom Watson.
Two holes later, Tom Watson sank a 10-foot birdie attempt to separate himself from Roberts, who then dropped a couple shots further back on the par-3 17th.
Roberts plugged his tee shot into the front right bunker and had an unplayable lie. After a drop, Roberts left his approach about 12 feet short of the hole and two-putted for double bogey.
"I'm still there," said Roberts, who has tied for second and eighth, respectively, the past two years in the U.S. Senior Open. "Obviously I would have liked to have shot anything under par today. I felt like I had it in my grasp and had an unfortunate bad break at 17. Other than that, I don't feel like I'm in too bad a shape."
Despite the struggling that unraveled on the back nine, especially holes 15 through 18 that butt up against Lake Michigan, the course actually played easier overall than in the second round. The field stroke average was 75.389, nearly a half stroke lower than on Friday.
For all of Tom Watson's success in majors, he admitted early Saturday evening that his heart rate is running a bit more rapid this week.
"When I'm in the lead the heart beats a little faster, I sleep a little longer, I don't sleep quite as soundly, but I sleep a little longer," he said. "I still have the same feeling, that's why I like it. It's competition. I like being in the thick of it. I like coming out on top."
Whistling's winds may have a say in that, though.
Stuart Hall is a writer for the Golf Press Association whose work has appeared previously on www.ussenioropen.com.
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