Tom Watson to be honored at Mayor's Masters Reception

Thirty-five years ago, Tom Watson drove down Magnolia Lane with extra motivation to win his first green jacket.

He had begun the 1977 season with a pair of victories, but that wasn’t what golf writers focused on leading up to the Masters Tournament.

In­stead, they skewered him over his final-round 77 at The Players Champ­­­ionship, which led to a four-shot defeat.

“The press writers forgot about my two wins. They wanted to focus on my 77,” Watson said. “That stuck in my craw some.”

Watson, who won his first of two green jackets that year, will be honored tonight at the Mayor’s Masters Reception at Aug­usta Common in downtown Augusta. The reception begins at 6 p.m., with the program honoring Watson starting at 6:30. With 40 restaurants offering free samples, organizers are requesting $1 at the gate.

Watson is one of golf’s legends with eight major championships. In 1977, he beat Jack Nicklaus by two shots to win the Masters. Later that year, he defeated Nicklaus again in the famous “Duel in the Sun” at Turnberry in the British Open.

“That was the front end of the one-and-one,” Watson said of his Masters win. “The British Open was the back end of the one-and-one.

“It solidified my thoughts of being able to beat everybody.”

Watson was born in Kan­sas City, Mo., and lives on a farm just outside the city. He and his wife, Hilary, own three cutting horses. She competes regularly, and he rides from time to time.

Compared with golf, Watson said his cutting ability is about a 31-handicap – he said he’s been involved only about six years. Still, he enjoys his new passion.

“It’s quite a rush when you’re on that horse,” he said. “That horse takes it upon itself to separate that cow from the herd. It’s quite a wonderful thing to see these animals do that.”

Watson will not be remembered as a cowboy. He’ll be remembered for his reputation as one of the greatest bad-weather players ever, with five British Open titles. Though Watson never won the PGA Championship, he claimed the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in dramatic fashion when he chipped in on the 71st hole for birdie, then birdied No. 18 for a two-shot win over Nicklaus.

In Augusta, Watson has one of the most impressive résumés of any Masters champion. In a 17-year span, beginning in 1975, he posted 14 top-10 finishes. He won his second green jacket in 1981 and placed second three times.

“I was always a good putter,” he said. “And I could hit it high and long. That helped hitting into those par-5s. I always felt comfortable on that golf course.”

Watson held off a hard-charging Nicklaus in the 1977 Masters. Watson rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 17 while Nicklaus bogeyed No. 18. Watson finished with 67 and a two-shot win.

Four years later, Watson won the first Masters on bent­grass greens, outlasting Nicklaus and Johnny Miller by two shots.

At 62, Watson said he no longer can contend in Augusta. He has missed the cut 12 of the past 14 years. He said the lengthening of nine holes in 2002 to an eventual course yardage of 7,435 has significantly changed his club selection. He now hits 4-irons into some greens he used to hit 7-irons into. He said his iron play will determine how well he plays this week.

“The added length of the golf course has diminished my ability to play well there,” he said. “I really have to be spot on.”

Though he can’t compete in the Masters the way he can at the British Open, where he nearly became the oldest major champion in 2009, Watson said he has no plans to retire from Augus­ta. He said he’ll continue to play the Masters “as long as I feel I can get the job done.”