GOLF

‘DUEL IN THE SUN’ HERO HOPES FOR REPEAT SHOW

HERO: Tom Watson

Friday July 3,2009

By John Austin

TOM WATSON, 60 in September, returns to the scene of arguably his greatest victory in two weeks still believing he can “make a run”.

The American’s “Duel in the Sun” win over Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry was 22 years ago, but he won the Senior Open over the course in 2006.

Five-time Open champion Watson, above, said: “I can play links golf. I can get the ball running and I can hit the proper shots into the greens.

“You can bounce it and there are methods of getting the ball to the green other than in the air – it’s designed that way. So I have a belief in myself that I can still do that. And if I’m hitting on all cylinders, I can make a run.

“That was my belief factor back then and it still remains today.

“I always enjoyed the challenge of trying to figure out the correct distance. You want the ball to end up flag-high and how do you get it there. In American golf it’s a lot simpler formula. You hit it to a certain spot, it stops and you’re there.

“In links golf you have the additional factor of the ball hitting on the ground and that ground may be very uneven.”

Watson admits he is looking forward to returning to Turnberry.

“I played there three years ago, but they have added, from what I understand, 28 bunkers and have re-routed the 10th and 16th,” he said.

“I think 1977 was the tournament where I was playing the best – there’s no question about that. The other tournaments I went in with mixed emotions about my chances of winning.

“Playing against the best in Jack and coming out on top was what I was out there to do – to beat the best and try to establish myself as one of the best players in the game.”