The Open/Tom Watson

[Jack of All Parades]

Am about to hunker down and enjoy this event-not a real sportsman but do enjoy Baseball-but this is the one sports event I watch consistently year in year out- not sure if golf is a sport rather than a very distinct skill mastered by a few people-but I am always drawn to this one event because of the beauty of the scenery{I cannot get enough of the shots of the Firth of Clyde and the dunes}, the natural grounds and links and the tremendous tradition- this year more so because a 59 year old man- a territory I am very near to entering-is competing with his usual distinction- I am in awe of the elegance, the demeanor{that laconic middle-western matter of factness}, the dignity with which he carries himself-the apparant respect he has for this event-he is a "sportsman" and I marvel at his ability to compete at this late stage under such scrutiny- I wish him a memorable sixth!!!

[Jackson Monk]

With you on that one Christopher. Turnberry is absolutely gorgeous. I love my golf and have just got back from a fantastic weekend playing with friends at Celtic Manor in Wales (venue for next year's Ryder Cup).

[Jack of All Parades]

I truly envy your ability to walk those great links courses-though I would not swing a club- I would relish the open air[bad pun], the wind and nature all around me.

[sulky lad]

Silly story really but I used to work in Truro, Cornwall and a few of us used to regularly play at the "pitch and putt" course near Watergate Bay. It was fantastic leaving work at 5 pm and then playing ofr a couple of hours in the middle of fantastic scenery and bracing fresh Atlantic air. We all thought we were getting pretty good after a few months and willingly went to the Perranporth Golf Club open morning where we were given tuition by the local Pro. Eager to prove how much better we'd become and ignoring all the hard sell (well for Cornwall it was probably do you fancy signing up for membership - no thanks -OK have a good day) we headed straight for the pitch and putt course. Imagine our disappointment when after 4 holes we'd managed to lose 3 balls by veering widely all over the pitch. Couldn't agree more with the comments about Tom Watson's demeanor - he has graced the Open for many years and always appears the perfect gentleman and ambassador for the U.S. I'm sure I speak for the majority of Brits when I say how disappointed we were by the result and his post match interview showed how perfectly at one he is with the world and his sport. All children should be shown that to show how to win and lose - God bless him

[Jackson Monk]

Yes, it was disappointing that TW just ran out of steam at the last. However, although he was the one member of the leaders who I didn't want to win, I was very impressed with Stewart Cink. Clearly a family man and asolid well-grounded character, he blew away my totally unfair misconceptions about him with his interviews and his acceptance speech. Sometimes winning gracefully is hard for professional sports people but I thought he did it as well as anyone and he made sure that TW got the credit he so richly deserved. A great championship in my view.

[Jack of All Parades]

As Tom stood over his final putt on the 18th and needing only par to win outright and as the putt left his blade I was crest fallen when I saw it start to veer away from the cup-I am happy for Cink- he did not steal it, he won it outright in the playoff making better shots than a spent Watson-and Tom gracefully acknowledged this- the gods are cruel at times- I eagerly look forward to next year and a 60 year olds assault maybe one last time on St. Andrews.

[pophead2k]

It was a great performance, especially as it was wire to 'almost' wire. And with Tiger out of the picture on the weekend, I'm sure the broadcasting world was pleased to have a story to follow. Funny, I used to root against Watson in his epic duels with Jack, but found myself pulling hard for him this week.