The Open Championship is underway again. As so often before, there is something quite special about the leaderboard. Tom Watson, 59, spent the night in a tie for second following his first round 65. You wonder if this is 1977 all over again. It may well be that Mr Watson is way down the leaderboard on Sunday night when this is all over and of course he should not be able to compete with the young guns of today. No matter what happens between now and Sunday he has still proved that he actually can beat many of the modern day top players. Perhaps it is the found memories of his victory in 1977 that are all coming back to him. Or perhaps it is the fact that Tom is still one of the best PLAYERS of this game. Open golf at Turnberry is not about hitting the ball a country mile with a fantastic looking golf swing. It is about minimizing the damage and working your way around the golf course in a way where a few holed putts and a sharp short game is bound to pay dividends. The Open Championship has a field where everybody will find it difficult to hit both greens and fairways, no matter how good your long game is. I have a feeling old Tom can still get a few putts to disappear.
And when I saw Mark Calcavecchia on the driving range this morning I cannot help wondering how he can be up there competing. But guess what he is more than most guys in the field? A PLAYER.
Mattsson Peter
stephenjburnett
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