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Tom Lehman, a former British Open champion, has been competitive in other tournaments against a younger field. (John Mummert/USGA) |
By Dave Shedloski
Carmel, Ind. – Tom Watson’s phenomenal run at the British Open two weeks ago at Turnberry has been arguably the most compelling story in the game this summer. But the former U.S. Open champion isn’t the only golfer nearing the winter of his career stubbornly fending off the unrelenting frost.
“Guys out here still play very well,” said Tom Lehman, who this week is making his debut in the U.S. Senior Open at Crooked Stick Golf Club. “They still hit great shots. They still make putts.”
Lehman happens to be one of them. After missing the cut in his first four starts this year on the PGA Tour, the former British Open champion has been competitive against the youngsters, making the cut at both the U.S. open and British Open and tying for eighth at the Transitions Championship after holding the 54-hole lead.
Loren Roberts, who won last week’s Senior British Open, was tied for eighth after two rounds of the St. Jude Classic with a pair of 67s at TPC Southwind before falling back, and he finished tied for 21st at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee before heading abroad for his conquest at Sunningdale, in Berkshire, England. Ronnie Black was in a similar position after two rounds of the Puerto Rico Open before finishing 21st.
The older guard is still finding their legs in other majors, too. Larry Mize and Sandy Lyle finished among the top 30 in this year’s Masters Tournament, while Fred Funk made the cut in the U.S. Open despite playing with a bad knee that will likely need to be replaced later this year. Two years ago, Funk joined Craig Stadler as players older than 50 winning on the PGA Tour when he won the inaugural Mayakoba Classic in Mexico.
Then there’s Greg Norman, who served as inspiration for Watson’s run at Turnberry. Last year at Royal Birkdale, Norman held the 54-hole lead in the Open Championship before falling to Padraig Harrington. The two men, both winners of the Open Championship at Turnberry in previous editions (Norman in 1986, Watson in ’77) dined together on the Monday prior to this year’s event and talked about being competitive against the young guns.
“We still believe in ourselves and our ability to play certain places, and I think that’s what you saw with Tom, and with what I tried to do last year,” Norman said. “We both physically can still play the game at a high level, but it’s about staying young in the mind more than anything, and there are several guys now who can still compete with anybody in the world on a given week.”
Asked if he thought that he and Watson had earned greater respect for the denizens of the Champions Tour, Norman said: “I would hope so.I would hope it's the younger generation sitting up and taking stock of the fact that if you are playing golf in your early 20s, you still got another 30-plus years of golf ahead of you. So just be patient and keep on your game plan and keep working at it. The game of golf will take it away from you but also give it back to you over a long period of time.”
If there is a common denominator among the top senior players, besides fitness, it might be found in technology. “I half wonder whether it's not the equipment. It makes it easier for the game to be played,” Watson said. “It's taken the field and compressed the fields.”
“Golf has changed so completely over the last 20, 25 years in many different ways -- the equipment, the size of the purses, even the way the Tour is run,” Lehman said. “…Everything has worked to the benefit of a player who is willing to stay focused and stay committed and willing to sacrifice to maintain his game. As a result, there [are] certain tournaments, certain weeks, certain courses which can benefit a player who has more of an old style game, a shot-maker's course or a course where experience really is important.”
Said Jay Haas, another player who was still viable on the regular tour after turning 50 – so much so that he played on the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team: “I'd say each case is a little bit different. But generally speaking, I think guys are taking better care of themselves. With that (the Champions Tour) being out there, you kind of say, ‘You know, if I can take care of myself and be somewhat competitive, I've got another 10 years, you know, to play competitive golf.’
“Number two, the equipment I think has helped the older player immensely. The third thing, I think this goes to somebody like Hale (Irwin) or Tom (Watson): the passion, the ‘want to.’ When there's a big brass ring out there, those guys seem to shine.”
These days, more of them seem prepared to shine more often. Winter might be setting in, but some weeks, the top seniors still manage to find a spring in their step.
Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on www.ussenioropen.com.
