Along the way, Watson signed every piece of paraphernalia that was thrust under his nose, even re-aligning people who wanted photos with him so the sun was in the right location.
This decency and respect for the galleries and fellow players continued throughout the week with a loyal following in tow through all four rounds. Numbers also swelled considerably after Watson fought back from an opening 78 to be four-under at the turn in round two and a chance to make the weekend action.
The galleries were in raptures as Watson drained a ‘Watson of old’ snake on his penultimate hole, replete with low fist pump and that famous gap-toothed grin, to ensure he wasn't going home early. “I hate missing cuts, it means you’ve failed.” Watson told us after the round, revealing he had not missed a cut internationally in his career outside of The Open.
Watson gathered fans young and old, with his personal touch and a few well chosen words of encouragement, but his most ardent admirer is now likely to be 14-year-old Guan Tian-lang, the Chinese prodigy who won the recent Asia-Pacific Amateur title to qualify for this year's Masters.
Guan will become the youngest player to grace the fairways at Augusta National and was at The Lakes at the invitation of Golf Australia. Watson met Guan in the media area after the second round after he and his parents had waited for the chance of an autograph and a photo opportunity.
Pages
Click here to see the published article.
