Jack
Nicklaus and Tom Watson are back at the site of their legendary
showdown, Turnberry Golf Links in Scotland, where they battled
for the 1977 British Open title. This week, both are competing
in the Senior British Open held at that venue.
Q.: Can
you reflect on events of 1977.
TOM WATSON: Well,
the look of the golf course was different than it was in '77. We
had one grandstand at the back of the 18th green here back in '77.
Of course the amphitheater seats that made last hole look a lot differently.
That week was a very special week for me. Wasn't quite as special
for Jack but it was very special for me.
I was coming into
the tournament playing very well. I had a very good feeling about
the tournament. I had just won the Western Open, and a couple of
weeks before I went over to Barcelona and I played in a tournament
there and shot a 61 there in the final round there, a two-day tournament
there, to win by ten shots. I came in here really playing well. One
of the few tournaments going into the tournament that I really thought
I could win the tournament just right from the first tee on. That
was to come true, but there was one man standing in my way, and a
pretty formidable opponent over here. Ten years my senior, Mr. Nicklaus,
it was quite a four-day event.
JACK NICKLAUS: I
don't remember anything.
TOM WATSON: That's
what you keep on saying. See, you lie like a rug.
JACK NICKLAUS: Actually,
the golf course is very similar condition-wise to then. It was fairly
dry and hard. The rough was relatively thin then if I recall.
TOM WATSON: I
think we played a practice round together and the third hole, I remember
they cut the rough I think it was 7 yards or 9 yards wide. They cut
the rough because there was no rough, they let it grow up, and you
went to the officials and said, you know that's a little bit too
thin or too narrow of a fairway there.
JACK NICKLAUS: Probably
did. But the golf course this year is very similar to then, actually.
And actually, some of the tees, I know that the golf course has been
lengthened, but see some of the tees we were playing this week were
the same tees we were playing then. I just remember that Tom and
I didn't play with each other the first two rounds, and then we were
paired together in the third round, and of course we both shot 65
and in the fourth round we both played well. The long putt Tom made,
I felt like I was in very good shape and fairly in command with a
shot-lead on 15, and Tom holed it from off the green. I notice they
put a bunker where he played before, so he can't play that shot anymore.
And of course, I hit it about 15, 20 feet and I missed my putt and
that made us even.
Tom had a pretty
good chance for eagle at 17 and didn't make it, and I had a chance
for a 5- or 6-footer for birdie that I missed.
I never had a problem
with somebody beating me as long as I think I've given it my best
shot and that's basically what I told you.
TOM WATSON: That's
what you told me on the 18th hole when you walked off: "I gave it
my best shot but it wasn't good enough."
JACK NICKLAUS: You
just beat me. There's been a lot made over that golf tournament,
and I think I'm glad to be part of it. I didn't want to be on the
side I was on but that's all right. You're not going to win everything.
Tom played better than I did that week and deserved to win. That
was that week, and we've had only 26 years since then to talk about
it.
TOM WATSON: As
Jack said, the course is very similar to when we played in 1977,
and the wind is just a little bit stronger today than it was back
then. We are playing the Senior -- we are playing the Senior British
Open, we're playing against a few of our old competitors here that
played against back there in '77.
I feel that my
game is pretty good. I struggled last week and didn't hit too many
land mines. That's the way I feel playing St. George's. When you
play around there, you're always looking at where you're stepping
because you could be -- could you go for a double-bogey very, very
quickly there and not hit a bad shot.
Here at Turnberry,
the most modern of the Open rotation courses, you pretty much get
what you deserve. There's not a lot of bad bounces you get here.
You pretty much can understand the golf course after playing a few
rounds here. But it's a lot different than last week. Last week is
a course you never fully understand. And I feel my chances are pretty
good. I'm playing well. Jack is playing well. He almost made another
hole-in-one on No. 4 today. He made double the score he shot yesterday.
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here to read the complete transcript with Jack Nicklaus and Tom
Watson.
