LEGEND TOm, 60, CAN PLAY BEYOND NEXT YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER CHANGE IN RULES BY R&A
Watson’s Turnberry show prompts Open exemption
Published:
Tom Watson will be able to go on playing in the Open beyond next year’s championship at St Andrews.
The American was one putt away from lifting a record-equalling sixth Claret Jug at Turnberry in July and at 59 would have been the oldest major winner by 11 years.
Now 60, Watson would have lost his past champions exemption next summer under the old rules, but the Royal and Ancient Club has responded not just to his performance, but also that of 54-year-old Greg Norman, who at Birkdale last year led with nine holes to play before eventually finishing third.
A new entry category has been introduced for the 2010 Open which exempts from qualifying any past champion who finished in the top 10 and ties in any of the previous five Opens, thus effectively providing them with a five-year exemption.
Watson needed to par the last hole in July, but went just over the green, putted 9ft past and missed the return.
The bogey sent him into a four-hole play-off with compatriot Stewart Cink, who won it by six strokes.
The drama came on the same course where Watson beat Jack Nicklaus for the second of his five titles in 1977.
Europe’s leading money winner Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter are at career-high places in the world rankings as they enter the season-ending Dubai world championship.
McIlroy, whose runners-up finish in the Hong Kong Open took him ahead of Lee Westwood on the order of merit and Ryder Cup points table, now stands 13th, while Poulter is one place ahead of him.
Westwood’s poor performance in Hong Kong means he drops to fifth and Paul Casey, out of this week’s event because of a rib injury, is back up to fourth.
Tiger Woods has stretched his lead over Phil Mickelson to more than seven points by capturing the JBWere Masters in Australia.
Latest leading positions on the world rankings:
1 Tiger Woods 16.16pt, 2 Phil Mickelson 9.08, 3 Steve Stricker 7.29, 4 Paul Casey 5.92, 5 Lee Westwood 5.92, 6 Padraig Harrington 5.73, 7 Henrik Stenson 5.64, 8 Kenny Perry 5.26, 9 Sergio Garcia 5.20, 10 Jim Furyk 5.15, 11 Martin Kaymer 5.03, 12 Ian Poulter 4.83, 13 Rory McIlroy 4.78, 14 Geoff Ogilvy 4.66, 15 Sean O’Hair 4.53, 16 Stewart Cink 4.53, 17 Ernie Els 4.40, 18 Lucas Glover 4.14, 19 Ross Fisher 4.12, 20 Retief Goosen 4.10.
Other leading Europeans: 27 Luke Donald, 28 Robert Karlsson, 33 Soren Kjeldsen, 37 Francesco Molinari, 40 Oliver Wilson, 42 Soren Hansen, 44 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 45 Simon Dyson, 46 Alvaro Quiros, 47 Anders Hansen, 50 Graeme McDowell, 54 Peter Hanson, 56 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 65 Justin Rose, 67 Alexander Noren, 71 Chris Wood, 79 Anthony Wall, 86 Gregory Bourdy, 87 Edoardo Molinari, 99 Nick Dougherty
Allan Cameron (Inverness), Neil McWilliam (Garmouth and Kingston) and Chris Campbell (Nairn Dunbar) all carded six-under-par 66s to share the top prize in the North Scottish Golfers' Alliance at Nairn Dunbar.
Cameron had no bogeys in his round.
Campbell, professional at the host course, opened with three birdies then carded successive 6s at the fourth and fifth. He had eight birdies and a closing eagle.
Kevin Williamson, from Torvean, off five, won the low handicap section with a net 62.
Peterhead Golf Club will host tomorrow’s North-east Golfers Alliance competition instead of Newmachar, the scheduled venue.
The Newmachar Hawkshill course is considered too wet to take as many as 100 golfers on one day.
The tee times reserved for Newmachar have been advanced by 15min which means that the first players will tee off at 8am and the last at 12.05.
