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Senior citizen
Tom Watson ready to challenge Senior Tour
Posted: Sunday April 23, 2000 05:29 PM
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Tom Watson is anxious to join the Senior PGA Tour. Jamie Squire/Allsport |
A new era comes to the Senior PGA Tour this weekend when veteran Tom Watson tees it up for his first tournament at the Comfort Classic in Indianapolis. Watson has eight major titles to his credit including five British Opens. Overall, he's won 34 PGA tournaments and last year Watson finished 29th on the PGA Tour money list. His debut is seen as the biggest name to join the Tour since Jack Nicklaus in 1990. CNN/SI's John Giannone spoke with Watson and asked him how he felt going into his first Senior event.
Tom Watson: I'm anxious to play. I'm anxious in the sense that I awakened last night a couple times thinking this is the time, this is my debut on the senior tour. That hasn't happened for a while and I think that is a good omen.
John Giannone: I've heard people say that when they turn 50, they feel drastically different then when they're 49. Do you feel any different being 50?
Watson: I don't feel 50 at all. I still feel like I'm 25 years old. My body doesn't feel that way but in my mind, I still feel like I'm 25 years old. My golf game is not nearly what it is when I was 25 years old. I don't hit it as far nor do I hit it as high. I don't putt quite as well. But that's a sign of age.
Giannone: I've also seen where Jack Nicklaus has said, "You'll be at the head of the class of the Senior tour when you first start out." Do you feel that's going to happen?
Watson: I'm going to have to be playing better than I am right now to do that. But Hale (Irwin) is the cream of the crop of the senior tour right now. He is the man to beat. I don't anticipate it this week because I'm pretty worn out. But I'm going to, uh, I'm going to give it my best shot to play and be in, play my best and be in good shape. The real senior tour is going to start for me next year.
Tom Watson's main goal is to play well. CNNSI.com |
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Giannone: Will you be comfortable in the role of being one of the stars in a star-driven tour now?
Watson:
Well I hope I play well enough to be at the top of the list every week. That's all I'm out here to do. Putting myself in front of the people here and playing good golf, I've
always enjoyed doing that. I've always not enjoyed playing lousy golf.
Giannone:
Tom, do you expect these courses to play more player-friendly than the regular PGA Tour?
Watson:
It's going to be enjoyable playing different golf courses, a little shorter golf courses and having a chance to play like
I used to. I used to be one of the longest hitters on the tour. I could dominate the golf course more than most of the players out there because of my length. And my putting.
Giannone:
Your fierce competitive nature on the golf course is legendary. People always talk about that. Do you anticipate still being as fierce as ever?
Watson:
I don't see any difference between my transition here, the way I want to play golf, in the way I want to play golf. I want to play my best golf and beat everybody that's here that I tee it up against.
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