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 The feel-good story of the Open Journeyman Watts performed like anything but a no-name
Posted: Sunday July 19, 1998 07:48 PM
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) -- Brian Watts didn't come out of nowhere to contend for the British Open. He came from everywhere. From Montreal, Dallas, Oklahoma and Japan. From every journeyman's dream and every name pro's nightmare. From out of a greenside bunker in the fading light of a summer evening to give Mark O'Meara the scare of a lifetime. Not once, but twice. The first time Watts came out of the left-hand sand trap at Royal Birkdale's 18th, he already had one foot in the grave. His ball had settled in just below the lip and when he took a stance, Watts had to plant his right foot outside the bunker. Somehow he still cozied the shot up to within a foot of the cup, tapped in for par, and forced O'Meara into a playoff. The second time came an hour later, in almost the same place. This time, Watts needed to hole an almost identical shot to force another playoff. But he didn't have any hero shots left. "I never gave up," said Watts, defiant to the end. "Never. That's what I'm proud of most." His is the feel-good story of this tournament, the story of a golfing gypsy with a chance, at last, to make his way back home. Born in Canada and raised in Texas, the 32-year-old Watts played college golf at Oklahoma State, where he won the NCAA championship 11 years ago and where his wife and baby boy still live. He plays nearly all of his golf, though, in Japan, where he headed in 1993 after failing to hang onto the PGA Tour card he had won two years earlier. He became a star there, but a forgotten man just about everywhere else. Then, beginning early Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday, the winds kicked up violently along the Lancashire coast and turned the tournament upside down. Seagulls started walking. Watts and his wind-cheating swing thrived. He got around Birkdale with just 69 shots Friday, good enough for the lead. So Watts and his wife, Debbye, and his caddie, decided to hold a small celebration that night at a Chinese restaurant. Nobody interrupted them, probably because nobody knew he was the Open leader. On Saturday, he was paired with Justin Rose, the 17-year-old English amateur sensation. Everywhere they went, the galleries greeted them with roars. Even with the swirling winds throwing the cheers in every direction, Watts had no illusions who they were for. "Being honest," he said wistfully, referring to Rose, "I wish I was him."
Even so, Watts managed a 73 on a day when the "names" were running for cover. Defending champion Justin Leonard shot 82, Phil Mickelson 85 and Tiger Woods 77. Watts was leading the tournament again, but this time he didn't have to worry about not being recognized. He and Debbye brought food back to the apartment where they were staying, watched some television and went to sleep. "He wasn't nervous. He's been the same Brian Watts every night," she said, "which is really nice." The tournament was as close to a vacation together as the couple gets. Watts lives in hotels in Japan, because even though he has won 11 times there and has made as much as $1 million, he can't afford any of the apartments he likes. He flies back to the States a half-dozen times a year, stays long enough to avoid jet lag and then returns. Until Watts' runner-up finish here, the Japanese tour was the only place he was assured a place to play. Whether the last four days have raised his profile remains to be seen. But this much about his life has changed already: His $329,000 share of the purse is enough to rank him around 75th on the PGA Tour's money list. That virtually guarantees Watts a playing card and another shot at playing full time in the United States. Right after the playoff, though, Watts had no idea whether he as ready to come back, to give up being a golfing citizen of the world. "I haven't even thought about it, to be honest," he said. "I guess I'll make up my mind some other time." While the trophy presentation was being held on the 18th green, his wife stood off to one side and watched. Someone asked whether she expected her husband to join the PGA Tour. "The decision is up to Brian," she said. Until this week, the last time she visited him in Japan with their 1-year-old son, Jason, was at Thanksgiving. Jason was home with Debbye's grandparents, and according to the latest reports, he took his first steps this week. "What's next?" Watts said, repeating a question. "Long term, I'm not sure. But tomorrow I'm going home."
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