He chucked a ball into the ocean. Standing ovations greeted him. His son carried his bag. And a longtime family friend, nearing 90 years old, walked every hole in support.Those moments added to 30 years of major-tournament memories at Pebble Beach Golf Links for Tom Watson, the oldest player in this weekend's U.S. Open at 60.
"There's a lot of sadness today," Watson said Sunday after his round of 76. "A lot of sadness. Yes, it's based on a lot of memories, and it very well may be the last time playing Pebble Beach in a championship of this caliber probably. Probably so."
The next major at Pebble Beach will be the 2019 Open, more than likely too far away for even Watson, who pounded drives on the front nine Sunday almost like he did when he won the Open here in 1982.
"It was overwhelming coming up the 18th hole," he said. "The memories started to hit me."
Even more memories flooded from Sandy Tatum, former USGA president and longtime friend of Watson. Tatum, who turns 90 next month, refused a cart and walked the rounds with Watson throughout the tournament.
"Have you seen how he's hitting the ball at the age of 60?" Tatum asked while walking down the side of the fairway at No. 15. "It's a real testament of his character."
Tatum, who lives in Palo Alto, was a friend of Watson's father when they were students at Stanford, and he took a liking to Tom as a boy mainly through their interest in golf.
"Watson and I bonded in many ways when it came to the game of golf," said Tatum, who fondly calls the golfer Watson instead of Tom. "I have a very close relationship with him." In fact, Tatum played as Watson's amateur partner at the then-Crosby and later AT&T golf tournament from 1977 to 1997.
When asked by a friend at No. 12 if he felt he was overdoing it by walking so much, Tatum said, "I don't know if I'm overdoing it because I'm so excited."
After the round, Watson and Tatum embraced, with Watson smiling and saying, "Sandy, it wasn't exactly the same result as 1982, was it?" Tatum responded: "I still loved every minute of it."
"It's wonderful to have Sandy here," Watson said. "We've done a lot of things together. We've helped kids learn to play the game of golf. It's always a pleasure to be in his company."
Watson's son, Michael, spent the tournament in Watson's company as his caddie.
"I'm just very appreciative," Michael Watson said. "The entire day was fun. He can still torch it."
Asked how much advice he gave his dad, Michael said, "If he asked for it, I gave it to him, but he knows how to navigate this course all right."
After holing out for par on 18, Watson celebrated the same way he did in 1982 by throwing his ball into the Pacific Ocean.
"Well, I threw the ball into the ocean after I won the U.S. Open in 1982," he said. "And what you do, you give the ocean its due because you never know when it's going to take it from you."
Michael Watson thought the gesture was fitting. "It's his last appearance at the Open, potentially," he said.
Knowing that, the crowds at every hole gave Watson his due throughout the round, screaming his name and rising to standing ovations, especially on the front nine, when he birdied No. 4 and No. 8 behind long, accurate drives and solid iron play.
"The crowd was just wonderful all day," Watson said. "They gave me nice ovations just about every hole."
Even though this will be his last major at Pebble Beach, Watson, who finished tied for 29th at the Open, has an ambitious schedule planned for the rest of the year: the British Open, the British Senior Open, the U.S. Senior Open and the Tradition.
Fans were especially appreciative of Watson, calling his name and rising to their feet even when Watson struggled on the back with five bogeys after playing the first nine even.
"It's Father's Day, with your son on the bag, and that's when it started hitting me," Watson said. "And the memories started hitting me again, and it's just a wonderful feeling to be here at Pebble Beach."
-Mercury News
