Tom Weiskopf vs Lee Trevino

Lore & Background

Watson is notable for his longevity: at nearly sixty years of age, and 26 years after his last major championship victory, he led after the second and third rounds of The Open Championship in 2009, but lost in a four-hole playoff. Several of Watson's major victories came at the expense of Jack Nicklaus, the man he replaced as number one, most notably the 1977 Masters, 1977 Open Championship, and the 1982 U.S. Open. Watson is also regarded as one of the greatest links players of all time, a claim backed up by his five Open Championship victories, his runner-up finishes at the 1984 Open Championship and 2009 Open Championship, and his three Senior British Open Championship titles in his mid-50s (2003, 2005, and 2007).

Reader's Guide

Watson's eight major wins include five Open Championships, two Masters titles, and one U.S. Open title. He played on four Ryder Cup teams and captained the American side to victory in 1993 at The Belfry in England. More than twenty years later, Watson again captained the U.S. Team in 2014 in Scotland, this time in a loss.

Did You Know?

• Watson was the number one player in the world according to McCormack's World Golf Rankings from 1978 until 1982.
• He spent 32 weeks in the top 10 of the successor Sony Rankings in their debut in 1986.
• Watson's eight majors ranks sixth on the list of total major championship victories, behind only Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, and Gary Player.
• Watson won his first major championship, the 1975 Open Championship, on his first appearance in the event in Britain.