Even I have to admit that the Auchtermuchtie Close Duffers Bowl is not the most renowned competition in golf. Some might say that, as the field consists of the worst four first round losers of the Auchtermuchtie Close itself, it isn’t the toughest challenge in the game either. Nevertheless, having never won a match in the Duffers Bowl in 18 attempts, I decided that the issue was my mental attitude and went seeking inspiration from the great Major winners and their moments of brilliance.
1 Tom Watson
1982 US Open, Pebble Beach Golf Links
Tom Watson called his chip-in on the notoriously difficult 17th “the best shot of my life. It had more meaning than any other shot of my career”. Arriving at the tee of the windswept par-3, Watson needed a par-par finish to tie Jack Nicklaus, who was sitting pretty in the clubhouse. Selecting a 2-iron, Watson drew his shot a hair more than he intended and the ball bounced through the green into thick fescue. Given the bad lie and with only a sliver of green between himself and the hole to work with, a near-certain bogey was on the cards.
Miraculously, Watson managed to land the ball gently just inches onto the putting surface from where it ran unerringly into the centre of the cup for birdie and a one-shot lead. After Watson holed a 15-footer on the par-5 18th for another birdie to seal his first (and only) US Open by two strokes, Nicklaus approached the Kansas-born Watson and said: “You little son-of-a-bitch, you are something else. I’m proud of you.”
Pages
Click here to see the published article.
