Major Disappointment

I am, as I am sure many others are, disappointed that Tom Watson fell short in a playoff to Stewart Cink at the British Open. Actually not so much that he lost the playoff, which was somewhat of a forgone conclusion, but that he bogeyed 18 to set up the playoff in the first place. I wonder if Watson can find solace in making the playoff at a major at age 59 when he had a very real chance to win.

Golf is a fickle game; Cink, playing two groups ahead of Watson, made a great putt to birdie the difficult 18th to get to -2; shortly thereafter Watson missed a tentative 9-footer that would have won it outright. As with any such outcome, Watson can look back at missed opportunities; primarily his adrenaline-fueled approach at 18 that rolled through the green and set up his bogey.

This is not to take anything away from Cink - anyone who makes four birdies on the back 9 on Sunday at a major deserves to win, and he played the 4-hole playoff in 2 under, including another birdie at 18. Cink has always had the skill and talent to win a major and if anything it is surprising that it took this long - my hat goes off to him for a great round and a great win. Still, though, it would have been absolutely amazing to see Watson capture his 6th British Open and 9th Major at the site of 1977's Duel In The Sun, one of the greatest, if not the greatest, majors ever.

The Open Championship has not always produced the great theater and great champions in recent years that it is renowned for, but this one was truly one for the ages.