The New Boss Man

The U.S. Ryder Cup team will have a strong, passionate leader at the head of the table at Gleneagles in Scotland during the 2014 matches. On Thursday morning the PGA of America president Ted Bishop officially named Tom Watson as the next boss of the American squad.

Watson was the captain at the ’93 matches at Belfry, which was the last time the U.S. team won on foreign ground. The Americans have only clinched the Cup twice since then, losing seven of the past nine biennial matches against the Europeans. Yikes.

Who better to break the America’s dismal losing streak in 2014 than the five-time Open Champion Golfer of the Year? I can’t think of one. Not when the venue is in Scotland. It’s important to note that Gleneagles is not a links course, but it doesn’t matter — it’s still Scotland, a magical place filled with remarkable memories for the 63-year-old Watson. (continue reading…)

Ed. note: I started writing this post before Rosaforte’s article with the breaking news was published.

Watson saluting the fans at St. Andrews at The Open in '10 (it was quite poignant)

If you woke up this morning and thought David Toms or Larry Nelson or anyone else not named Tom Watson were the favorites to be tapped as the 2014 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, you may have changed your mind by now.

While the PGA of America won’t make an official announcement until Thursday at 8:30am EST on The Today Show (under the radar, per usual), industry insiders are putting their money on five-time Open Champ Tom Watson, who captained the last American team to win on foreign soil in ’93. Phrases like the PGA is “thinking outside the box” or “shaking it up” have been tossed around by respected journalists. (continue reading…)

Toms in action at at the Olympic Club in June.

David Toms is one of the most successful American golfers of his generation. He’s collected 13 PGA Tour victories, including the 2001 PGA Championship; played on three Ryder Cup teams; and, over a career spanning nearly 25 years, amassed a little under $40million in prize money.

And yet, if he’s named on Thursday as Davis Love’s successor to the Ryder Cup captaincy, there remains a sense the decision will have owed more to his inoffensiveness and political good fortune than golfing pedigree. (continue reading…)

Keegan Bradley: say hello to his longer-than-standard friend. *ahem*

Golfweek’s Alex Miceli, currently in China for the WGC-HSBC Champions, has filed an interesting report on the growing resistance among exponents of anchored putting techniques to the idea of an equipment ban.

Some tour players, sensing their livelihoods at risk, are apparently willing to consider legal action in the event of a rules change. (continue reading…)

Watson's true blue to Greenbrier

Tom Watson is a man of his word. At first, it seemed peculiar that the 61-year-old Watson was entered to play in The Greenbrier rather than the US Senior Open.

Watson, the pro emeritus at Greenbrier, couldn’t play in the inaugural PGA Tour event at the West Virginia resort because he was already committed to competing at the Senior Open. But he promised Greenbrier owner Jim Justice that he would play this year. (continue reading…)

Bad weather isn't stopping fans from coming to the Open

As expected, high winds and heavy rain have battered Royal St. George’s, along with fans, players and the several members of the media. Not surprisingly, the few players who have finished shot over par.

Gary Woodland was off to a fantastic start, but conditions worsened as his round progressed. Woodland was playing some mighty impressive golf until he reached the 14th, where the cross wind was so strong that he aimed roughly 50 yards left of the fairway, but a bad swing put him out of bounds. (continue reading…)

The Open Championship loves Tom Watson, and Tom Watson loves the Open Championship.

The 61-year-old icon aced the par-3, 178-yard No. 6 with a 7-iron. The shot took a one hop right in the cup. He celebrated by high-fiving playing partner Henrik Stenson. (continue reading…)

It's amateur hour at the Open!

20-year-old Tom Lewis fired a five-under 65, the lowest score in Open history by an amateur, to take a share of the first-round lead with Thomas Bjorn. The native of Welwyn, England, is named after Tom Watson, whom he was paired with today. (continue reading…)

Jack had some words of advice for DJ

Jack Nicklaus held his usual press conference ahead of the Memorial Tournament this morning. While the first half of the Q&A concerned itself primarily with the course’s drainage issues, changes to the 16th hole and something to do with NCAA football (Woody Hayes, anyone?), things began to get interesting when he was asked about the mental implosions that have had a part in deciding three of the last four majors. (continue reading…)

For all the Tom Watson fans out there, Jim Frank, former editor of Golf Magazine, posted an appreciation of Tom’s terrific new instructional DVD set (which makes a great present, by the way). He also has some very nice and interesting things to say about Tom’s career. I wish I had been born to witness that era, but Watson’s given us some pretty great memorable moments the past few years, too.