Watson, Funk head field in Senior Players tourney
September 30, 2009
TIMONIUM, Md. (AP)—Even if Tom Watson won the British Open, it’s hard toimagine his life would be much better than it is right now.
Watson skipped the past couple weeks on the Champions Tour to work on aninstructional DVD and book. Sales should be rather brisk because of hisperformance last July at Turnberry, when he came tantalizingly close to becomingthe oldest player to win a major on the U.S. PGA Tour.
“This DVD was planned in March of this year. It didn’t have anything to dowith the British,” Watson said Wednesday before quickly adding, “Oh, by theway, it will help. The timing is pretty darn good.”
Now 60, Watson still gets a thrill out of playing in major tournaments. He’ssure to be a crowd favorite at the Senior Players Championship, which startsThursday and runs through Sunday at the Baltimore Country Club.
Tom Pernice Jr., left, celebra… AP – Sep 27, 6:26 pm EDT Tom Pernice Jr., left, celebra… AP – Sep 27, 6:26 pm EDT
Nick Price unsuccessfully trie… AP – Sep 27, 6:24 pm EDT YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 2; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090927/capt.22accb3e9fdc452da51aac8f3204ca22.champions_tour_golf_ncral202.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=75&yc=1&wc=261&hc=290&q=70&sig=p_yuq211qXHVp3U0XHRtTw--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090927/capt.dd8fd538cc6e42dead9a0e461a02ff60.champions_tour_golf_ncral201.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=326&hc=362&q=70&sig=6XLehGtjBFqG2p_uTef9vQ--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 3 Golf Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();
“This is a favorite course of mine,” said Watson, who finished second herein 2007. He didn’t participate last year because he was getting lefthip-replacement surgery, an operation that changed his way of life.
“I rode a horse at a parade last Saturday,” he said. “Last year, Icouldn’t spread my legs wide enough to get on the back of a horse. Now, man, Ican ride a fat horse, no problem. That’s the difference between this year andlast year.”
That is not the only difference. Even though he lost a playoff to StewartCink in the British Open, Watson has been the recipient of an outpouring of lovefrom around the world.
“The response has been humbling, it’s been overwhelming. It’s a responsethat I would have never foreseen for a guy finishing second in a golftournament,” he said. “The theme has been, ‘You’ve given me hope. You’ve givenme a second charge in my life. You’re 60 years old and still doing this? Maybe Ican still do what I thought I couldn’t do anymore.’ It’s kind of the wonderfultheme that’s come out of this thing.”
Fred Funk, one-third of a stellar threesome with Watson and Nick Price onThursday, won’t soon forget Watson’s unexpected brush with history.
“Almost everyone wanted Tom to win that thing, and he did everything hecould,” Funk said. “Had he won, that would have been one of the greatest, ifnot the greatest, sports accomplishments ever.”
This tournament, the fifth major on the Champions Tour, could come down toduel between Funk and Watson. Funk has finished in the Top 5 in each of theprevious four majors this year, and Watson has three top-10 finishes in thoseevents.
Funk is the Tour leader in Schwab Cup points and finished third and secondin the past two years at this course. But he has been struggling lately, in partbecause he’s trying to recover from a staph infection in his knee.
Nick Price unsuccessfully trie… AP – Sep 27, 6:24 pm EDT
He paid to have his teacher come in from Wisconsin to help him perfect hisswing.
“Last week, I don’t know what it was, but my whole game just went in thetoilet,” said Funk, referring to his 18th-place finish in the SAS Championship.“I’m a little concerned about where I am right now, and I want to get itfixed.”
Perhaps he can have a revelation similar to the one Watson experienced 15years ago.
“I learned how to swing the golf club on the practice tee at Hilton Head at3:15 in the afternoon after a practice round at the 1994 Heritage GolfClassic,” Watson said. “I made that change, and the golf swing got easy forme.”
Funk grew up in Maryland and coached at the University of Maryland in the1980s, so winning here is clearly a priority.
“This is big. Not only the significance it has for the Schwab Cup andhaving a major under your belt, but it’s my home state,” he said. “I get somuch support here, I would love to put something of this much significance on myresume.”
He expects his threesome to draw the biggest gallery—by far.
“That’s a pretty strong group right there,” he said. “Whoever’s here isprobably going to be following our group. Hopefully I play well.”
The tournament is sponsored by Constellation Energy.
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