This is ball control from Major Tom

58-year-old Tom Watson has shown many younger men a clean pair of heels with a gritty first round of 74

Fergus Bisset
By Fergus Bisset
published

A brief entry to say well done to Tom Watson. The 58-year-old who s playing in his fifth Open at Birkdale had to endure the worst of the weather through his entire round this morning but came in with an impressive score of 74.

The five-time Open Champion opened with a birdie and led the Championship for an hour or so this morning before dropping away with bogeys at the 6th and 7th. He bounced back with a birdie on the 8th and, despite three further bogeys on the back nine, posted a total of four over par one of the best scores from the early starters.

After the round Watson said that he enjoys the challenge of such testing conditions but, wouldn t want to face it every day. He s shown a lot of younger, fancied, players how to play the links in the wind and rain.

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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