The New “Old Tom”

Tom Watson strides up the 9th hole during round three of the 138th Open Championship. Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images.

This needs to be written now, not later. Because I’m still a sceptic. I’d love to believe that Tom Watson, 60 in two months time and sporting a new hip, can really win the Open Championship this afternoon. But sometimes faith and hope aren’t enough. The laws of probability and the remorseless weight of years of accumulated evidence scoff at the notion that Old Tom can pull it off. But, by god, wouldn’t it be splendid if he can?

Commonsense dictates he can’t. Commonsense demands that Watson’s putter, the cause of so much heartbreak over the years, cannot continue to work so smoothly. Commonsense insists that there are only so many 40, 50 and 60 foot putts a man can make in four rounds of golf. Commonsense tells you that Watson’s frailties inside six feet will reappear with an agonising vengeance this afternoon.