Golf

Watson calm in the cool

He earns his first Florida victory in conditions tailored to him.

By BOB HARIG
Published February 19, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Michael C. Weimar: Special to the Times] Tom Watson shoots 1-under 70 in the final round to win the Champions Tour at TPC Tampa Bay by one shot, breaking his 0-for-93 streak in Florida.

LUTZ - There was no Barry Burn to cross, no Postage Stamp green to navigate, no brutal rough to traverse. There was no Golden Bear to Duel in the Sun, either.

But there was cold and wind and plenty of treachery, the elements in which Tom Watson has excelled in his Hall of Fame career - most notably at places such as Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Muirfield and Turnberry in Scotland.

"I've never been this cold at the British Open," said Watson, who nonetheless heated up on the back nine of the TPC Tampa Bay Sunday to capture the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am.

Watson shot 1-under-par 70 to overtake Andy Bean and hold off Jay Haas for his first victory in 94 attempts at any event - PGA or Champions Tour - in Florida.

It gave the Champions Tour event, which was celebrating its 20th anniversary, the most prominent winner since Jack Nicklaus in 1996. Watson, who outlasted Nicklaus by one stroke in an epic 1977 British Open at Turnberry, won 39 times in his PGA Tour career, including five Claret Jugs.

It was his eighth 50-and-over title, and it was no coincidence that it came a week after performing well at the PGA's Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he tied for 19th and was second in the pro-am with his 24-year-old son, Michael.

"There was a lot of carryover," Watson, 57, said. "The thrill I had playing with my son last week and doing so well carried over to this week."

It was hardly a joy, however, to get up early Sunday and play in a refrigerator. The alarm was set for 4:45 because Watson had to complete the final three holes of his second round. He birdied 18 to pull within one shot of co-leaders Bean and Wayne Levi.

Despite temperatures that never got out of the low 50s and swirling, gusting winds to 25 mph, the climate appeared perfect for Watson.

"When I saw the kind of day we had, I knew Tom Watson was the guy to beat," Haas said. "He's our best ball-striker and he loves this kind of weather. He hits the ball so solid and he's so good around the greens. He's just tough to beat."

Watson finished at 209, 4 under par, the highest winning score since Nicklaus' victory 11 years ago. Watson won $240,000 from the $1.6-million purse.

Bean, who shot 72, and Haas, who had the day's best score, 69, were one back. Loren Roberts and R.W. Eaks tied for fourth and Levi, the former Tampa resident who shot 75, was four back in sixth.

Watson began with seven straight pars and was briefly tied for the lead but seemed to fall out of contention with bogeys at the eighth and ninth holes.

Bean took control and appeared on his way to his second Champions Tour victory. After bogey at the first hole, he rebounded with birdie at No. 6 and was steady through the 13th, remaining at 4 under, where he started.

But then the inexplicable happened. After a poor wedge shot approach to the par-5 14th, he shanked his fourth shot and ended up making triple-bogey 7.

"I played really solidly but sometimes you hit a bad shot, and I just hit a couple of them on the same hole," said the 11-time PGA Tour winner from Lakeland. "And it certainly cost me."

Haas was one of only two to break 70, keeping the heat on Watson. His 13-foot birdie putt at the final green forced Watson to par the last two holes for the victory.

"It was a survival kind of day for me," said Haas, 53, the player of the year in 2006 who won four times and has six senior wins. "I didn't give many strokes away. I did what I had to do to shoot a good score."

Watson got back into contention with birdies at Nos. 10, 12 and 13 and excellent saves at 11, 15 and 17. "That was the Watson of old," he said.

But he still had to par the 443-yard, par-4 18th, which played as the third toughest. Watson ripped a drive down the middle of the fairway, then played his 5-iron approach safely onto the green, pin high, leaving two putts for the win.

It wasn't the British Open or any of his eight major titles, but it was special.

"Winning is still winning," he said. "Competing is still competing. It is trite to say, but if I fail to get upset over a bad shot, I'm out of here. I'm gone."

Leaderboard

Tom Watson 70 209 -4

Jay Haas 69 210 -3

Andy Bean 72 210 -3

Loren Roberts 71 212 -1

R.W. Eaks 70 212 -1

Wayne Levi 75 213 E

Scott Hoch 70 214 +1

Curtis Strange 73 214 +1

David Eger 75 214 +1

Complete scores, 4C

[Last modified February 19, 2007, 00:27:42]