Eight-time major winner and six-time PGA player of the year Tom Watson went on the inaugural episode of the Metro Detroit Golfers Podcast hosted by former 97.1 the Ticket radio personalities Mike “Sully” Sullivan and Kyle “Bogey” Bogenschutz and had some interesting things to say about golf in the state of Michigan.
Watson’s relationship with the mitten runs deep. He grew up spending his summers in Northern Michigan playing golf wherever he and his father could get into. It helped develop the hall of famer’s love for the game because some of the courses were short, which allowed Watson at a young age (11 or 12) the ability to score well and gain confidence.
The confidence of course kept growing as Watson put together one of the longest and most impressive PGA careers we have ever seen. Like any great career, there is triumph and there is heartbreak. For Watson, there is perhaps no bigger heartbreak than the 2009 Open Championship, where he birdied on 17 to take sole possession of the lead and needed only a par four on 18 to claim victory. Unfortunately, Watson took a bogey on 18 which sent him to a playoff which he would ultimately lose to Stewart Cink.
After the defeat, Watson got a phone call from all-time great golfer Jack Nicklaus who described the 18th hole:
You hit a perfect tee shot…..
the second shot – if it stops 6 inches shorter, you win the tournament….
the third shot – you hit the shot that wouldn’t *lose* you the tournament….
and the fourth – the putt – you hit it like the rest of us would’ve hit it, ya dog!
That great story about Jack aside, Watson drops some major gems with Sully and Bogey including the best tips for amateur golfers, the biggest changes in golf today compared to when he played, how he spends his time when he isn’t golfing, and the best ways to get your kids involved in golf at an early age.
You can listen to the MDG’s entire interview with Watson on Spotify here.
