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Watson wins second Masters
By Robert Eubanks
Chronicle Sports Editor
Augusta, Ga., Monday, April 13, 1981 -- The second time around was sweeter for Thomas Sturges Watson in the 45th Masters Tournament.
Watson, who also won in 1977, again snatched crumbs away from Golden Bear Jack Nicklaus on Sunday. This time, it was more of a battle within himself and with an Augusta National Golf Club course in old-time form, than with the chasers.
``Indescribably delicious,'' Watson said after he had carved out a nerve-wracking, one-under-par 71 for 280 and two-stroke victor over five-time champion Nicklaus and Johnny Miller.
It was the 23rd victory of his PGA tour career, a total which doesn't include three British Open championships. The $60,000 first prize raised his 1981 winnings to $120,215, fourth on the money list.
``The first time was great,'' Watson said. ``This was more of a fight with myself than other players, although it feels great to beat the top player in the game over the last 20 years. I would be lying if I said that didn't make any difference.''
Watson won head-to-head duels with Nicklaus in the 1977 Masters and British Open. Those conquests firmly planted Watson as one of the game's greats. He went on to become PGA Player of the Year four straight times, but had been concerned about his game coming into this year's Masters.
When Nicklaus, who had fired a blistering 65 Friday, soared to a 75 Saturday, Watson gladly took a one-stroke edge into the final round. The Nicklaus challenge really never materialized until it was too late and he was destined to his fourth second-place finish, tying fellow Ohio native Tom Weiskopf and legendary Ben Hogan in the dubious record department.
``I was so nervous I was trying to jump out of my skin,'' said Watson. ``When you're nervous, the tendency is not to breathe. I was able to keep the pressure on and make them try to catch me. No one ever made a run.''
Even Nicklaus (72) joined the early retreat that made Watson's chore somewhat easier. The only one to make a run was Miller, a former Open champion destined to finish second here for the third time.
Miller shot a four-under-par 68 and put a six-under-par 282 on the board while Watson was on No. 14, almost an hour before the final group would finish.
``I was glad to let Watson know that I'm around,'' said Miller, who attacked the pin positions all day. ``I did the best I could.''
``Tom took what I gave him and he made the putts when he had to,'' Nicklaus said. ``That's what you have to do to win golf tournaments. He beat me on the back nine. I just gave away too much and didn't put any pressure on him the last two holes.''
``I can't take anything away from him. He shot a solid 71 and did what he had to do.''
The other 54-hole challenger also retreated or failed to make a run. Australian Greg Norman, playing in his first Masters, had been only two back but struggled to a par 72 for 283 and fourth place.
Long-hitting Bruce Lietzke and former PGA champion John Mahaffey, who had been three behind after 54 holes, also fell back in the end. Mahaffey, who was six under and only one behind Watson at the turn, bogeyed the last three holes for 74 and 286.
Lietzke, who played well but putted poorly the first three days, saw his woes carry over into other parts of his game and closed with a 75 for 287.
Tied for fifth at 284 were Jerry Pate (70) and Tom Kite (68), who made belated moves. Australian David Graham had a 71 for 285 and 1976 champ Ray Floyd, the year's leading money winner, charged to a 69 and 286 with Ben Crenshaw and Mahaffey.
In the end, it was a matter of how well Watson would survive the personal challenge from the course.
The Augusta National had changed from Bermuda base over-seeded with rye to bent grass for this tournament, hoping to retain the integrity of a course whose severely undulating greens once struck terror in the hearts of even the fiercest of men.
Sunday, the course gave a portent of things to come. Nicklaus and Floyd, who had predicted this would be the last year to challenge their jointly-held record of 271, were accurate forecasters.
The greens were extremely fast, averaging well over 10 feet of roll on the Stimpmeter measuring device. Lon Hinkle, who had started the day only four back, putted off the ninth green, saw his wedge shot roll back nearly to his feet and finally made a triple bogey 7.
Howard Twitty also had a 7 and Britain's Sandy Lyle a 6 on No. 9, which probably has the severest slope of any green on the course. Miller and Floyd had the only birdies, which really were more like eagles on this terrifying day.
Even Watson putted the ball off the green from behind the hole, but managed to salvage a bogey.
Watson won the tournament by making par 5 from Rae's Creek on No. 13 and scoring birdie on the par 5 15th hole. That put him eight under par and earned the two-stroke edge over Miller and Nicklaus, who had just run in a 25-foot birdie putt on 16 reminiscent of his 40-foot winning blow of 1975.
Miller said that if Watson didn't birdie No. 15, there was a 50-50 chance of a playoff.
Watson agreed, saying after he reached No. 15 with a 4-wood for the two-putt birdie, that OK, ``You have the championship if you par the last three holes.''
It wasn't easy because he almost repeated Saturday's double bogey disaster on No. 17. Watson again bunkered his wedge approach, but this time sank a 4-foot par putt.
Then, when he reached No. 18 with a 5-iron and two-putted from 30 feet, the game was over.
Nicklaus lost the tournament on the par 4 seventh and ninth holes, scoring bogeys the final two days.
He went out in 38 and although he did close with a 34, Nicklaus said he knew the tournament was over when Watson made that par-saving putt on 17.
Mahaffey actually stole some of Nicklaus' thunder reaching No. 2 for birdie while Jack was having to save par with a miracle from the woods. At one point, Nicklaus actually fell two shots behind Mahaffey, his playing partner.
Meanwhile, Watson was playing relatively steady golf. He easily could have birdied the first three holes, missing a 10-footer on No. 1, sinking a 5-foot birdie putt after escaping a greenside bunker on No. 2 and barely missing a 15-footer on No. 3.
Watson twice hit poor shots back-to-back and escaped by hitting a 15-foot par putt after knocking a 5-iron over the fifth green. However, his 8-iron tee shot spun back off the sixth green, he chipped long and two-putted from 20 feet for bogey.
He birdied No. 8 with two drivers and a chip to 5 feet.
No. 9, a 435-yard par four, was possibly his key hole of the day. Watson put his 9 iron approach shot over the green, putted off the green, then chipped to 5 feet for bogey.
``That was the key hole,'' he said. ``I didn't give up two shots.''
That enabled him to turn seven under par for the tournament.
Nicklaus gave away two shots to par, dropping to four under after nine, but was fortunate it wasn't much more.
His 3-wood second shot from behind the fairway bunker on No. 2 clipped the mound and took off sharply left, coming to rest between two dogwood trees. He was forced to play a low shot, but it rolled through the left trap and onto the green where he almost made a long birdie putt.
He also rescued par on No. 4 by sinking a 15-footer after bunkering his tee shot.
Then on No. 7, Nicklaus' flip-wedge caught a front bunker, he blasted long and made bogey. His 9-iron approach to No. 9 was long and he three-putted for a bogey.
Mahaffey, meanwhile, reached the back fringe in two for birdie 4 on No. 2 and also birdied No. 7 to turn in 34. Norman bogeyed No. 3 but birdied No. 7 to remain five under and two behind Watson.
However, they quickly fell behind and left only Nicklaus and the early-finishing Miller to concern Watson.
Norman duck-hooked his tee shot on No. 10 into the woods, went over the green after taking a free drop from an obstruction and made double bogey.
Watson saved par by two-putting from 40 feet, sinking a 6-foot putt on No. 12 and then chipping to 5 feet after putting his 4-iron approach to No. 13 into the creek. Nicklaus rescued par on No. 10 and No. 12, where he bunkered his tee shot and chipped out to 7 feet.
He two-putted 13 for birdie, then went over the No. 14 green and took three to get down for a bogey 5. Nicklaus then hit to the right of No. 15 in two and sank a 10-foot birdie putt before running in a 23-foot birdie on No. 16 with Watson watching from the 15th green.
However, Watson calmly ran in his birdie putt on No. 15, returning that two-shot cushion.
Mahaffey did birdie No. 13 to go back to five under, but went backward on the final three holes.
Miller started his day with a bang, rapping a 9-iron to 3 feet on No. 1 and a 5-iron to 15 feet, just missing an eagle on No. 2.
However, he three-putted from 25 feet on No. 4 and 20 feet on No. 6 for bogeys. He chipped to 4 feet for a birdie on No. 8 and rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt from the right side of the ninth green.
Although he was long and two-putted from 40 feet on No. 10, Miller saved par from 10 feet on No. 12. He two-putted from 20 feet on No. 13 and ran in a 28-footer on No. 14 for birdies.
``I had an impossible putt,'' he said of the stroke from the back of the 14th green. ``But it just trickled in. It was 22 feet if I had to walk to it, but 28 feet the way it went into the hole. It had a 10-foot break, just an average putt.''
Miller felt he lost the tournament on the 15th hole where he reached the bunker with a 5-wood and missed an 8-foot birdie putt.
The situation was different from 1973, when he fired an early 63 on the final round for a triumph in the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
``At Oakmont, I was in control,'' he said. ``There were some tough holes remaining and the field would have had to play them two under par to beat me."
``You don't do that at Oakmont, unless you are a Nicklaus.''
Sunday, even a Nicklaus couldn't catch a gritty Tom Watson.
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