Golf Players

Legend Tom Watson Interview- Tales of Nicklaus, Hogan, & More



Fairways of Life is joined by a World Golf Hall of Famer & 8-time Major Championship winner Tom Watson. He shares his recollections of an amazing career alongside some of the giants of the game like Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, & more.

42 Comments

  1. Let’s get back to what is important. We love him in Scotland just like Jack and hope he is at Royal Troon later this year at time of The Open . I have seen him play many times in Scotland and listened to him talk to people. More than a great golfer but a great man.

  2. Hmm.. I've always found Watson to seem rather condescending and arrogant. could be wrong……maybe it's just my perception of him….

  3. I have so much respect for Tom. I grew up watching him. Once I saw him at dubs dread, in Chicago, alone on the range and I was in awe. And I know he struggled with things and helped David Fehrety. But I also heard he was responsible for getting McCord fired from the Masters. What I’ve heard seems to be true and it seems that this was just a bad time in Tom’s life. It will be a sad spot with me till I hear otherwise.

  4. Huge Watson fan here. I am of similar age so I remember his career from the beginning. In 1982 he came to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach nearly desperate to win. He had blown a lead at Medinah 10 minutes from my house and picked up a choker label. I was able to play Pebble Beach in early April of that year just 6 weeks before the Tournament. I watched the final round in Cape May NJ with a huge group of golfing friends. People sitting everywhere hanging on every shot. He wins as we all know, looks into the camera and says Happy Father’s Day Dad. I will never forget it.

  5. Watson is a human. He has all the flaws that a human has. He got alcohol under control. He’s fought his demons like all of us but, you cannot deny flaws and all that he is not a great champion of majors , prolific on the tour and we could go on. Watson is genuine, like what he’s says or not. I cried in his last close call with The Open at St Andrews losing to Stewart Cink I believe. Cried my eyes out. I hold him in high esteem and think another great interview Matt.

  6. I walked a course in PEI Canada (Dundarave) with Jack and Tom about 18 years ago. You could not ask for better guys to represent the game of golf. They talk to each other and talked to the people following them. I will remember it for the reset of my days,,,,,,thanks guys.

  7. Hell of a golfer indeed! One of the best ‘A’ games in history and one of only a handful of men when no weaknesses in his game. Trevino got Nicklaus 3 times in majors but Watson did it 4 times! He opened up everyone’s thinking when he was only 6 feet from another Claret Jug at 60 years old …..his personal battles only made him more human and endearing …..as time goes on, people are realising how amazing 8 majors/ 70 pro wins is as a record. So glad The Masters are recognising him again and this young generation get to appreciate Mr Watson. God Bless

  8. Byron may have won 18 in 1945 but Hogan was in the service then and wasn’t in the field. In 46 Hogan came back and settled who was the better player.

  9. My favourite Tom Watson moment was when he had just won another Open Championship at Royal Troon holding aloft a 'Scotland The Brave ' woollen scarf with the biggest smile on his face …EVER ! Scotland and Tom Watson have this wonderful mutual respect for each other and was a joy to behold in his prime ….Haste ye back ,Tom .

  10. Watson was a great player, no doubt. But these interviews would be a lot more interesting if you actually asked some probing questions instead of just telling your interviewees how wonderful they are.

  11. Big introduction listing Watson’s accomplishments -missing my favorite. He was leading the Open championship on the final round at 59 years old! For me -if he had done it the greatest sports accomplishment of modern times!

  12. @alberg6290 You are overly severe on him and needlessly so. It’s because of Tom’s sense of responsibility to the game that he stood up to Tiger reproving him for his foul language on the golf course. Tom did the right thing. And thank God someone did. And we all applauded him except for the likes of you. Tom is teaching kids to play the game and Tiger’s example was horrible and someone needed to reprove him. But instead of Tiger allowing himself to be reproved he became indignantly haughty. There’s an old saying that says a haughty spirit precedes a fall and not long after that Tiger did take a terrible fall, didn’t he. But there is something wrong with you friend, for you to be offended by Tom reprimanding Tiger who was in much need of it. Perhaps you have a haughty spirit too. You have an immature attitude towards politics. So what if Tom criticised Obama. Will you hate me too if I’m a Trump fan. Perhaps you are one suffering from racism. Are you one that if would have pronounced OJ Simpson innocent in you were in the jury because you’re a racist like those ones who perverted the course of justice.

  13. Tiger has richly deserved the criticism he has gotten from Tom. Golf is a game for ladies and gentlemen and not for barbarians. And it’s a sorry state seeing players emulating Tiger, spitting his barbaric spits of distain, along with frustratingly using F word loudly for all to hear. I’d rather play ping pong than play with someone who doesn’t know how to behave like a gentleman. If Tiger can complain about the N word, and so he should, then surely gentleman are entitled to ask others to refrain from the F word. However isn’t it good to see Tiger amending his ways and returning to the gentleman he used to be. But without Tom’s wise reproving would this have happened.

  14. There’s no debate about how great Tom Watson’s golf career has been.
    Unfortunately, accusing Gary Player of being a cheat has for me tarnished his reputation, and I believe that Tom should be removed from the World Golf Hall of Fame for ever.
    He did apologise for making that statement, but I don’t believe that warrants a pardon. Gary Player may not be the most popular golfing legend there’s ever been, but to falsely accuse him of cheating is disgraceful, especially for everything that Gary has done for golf around the world!

  15. One of the few legends that took care of his health… along with The Black KNight…. nice to see. Big fan of healthly pro golfer

  16. Gee, I am glad Tom got him back to talking about golf. I thought for a while this was just going to be a conversation about Tom's health and what he is doing with his retirement. Not a good interviewer.
    It might have gotten better but the first five minutes was so bad I left at that part.

  17. Tom looks so good physically these days.. if you didn't know how old he was and didn't know him perse.. you could think he was maybe around 55 years old.. ..his body generally is so athletic for his age. ..he was such a gracious loser on the occasions he did not win big tournaments.. looking at him in this interview he just looks so young for his actual age.
    Golf today needs personalities like Tom and Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer… they played the game as it should be played… as of course did Byron Nelson.. Sam Snead and Ben Hogan.

  18. Robert the barber. Perhaps you’re not worthy to be a friend of Tom or Jack. There is something intrinsically wrong with you friend. It’s a pettiness. Here we have two good men. Two decent men. But instead of liking them you dislike them because of their political affiliations. Clearly you are a Trump hater stating that his supposed crookedness is the basis of your hatred. But isn’t it interesting. Tom and Jack don’t think he’s crooked. And these aren’t dummies. They are very smart people. Not just smart but good people. People of integrity. But no no no. You know better than they do. Let me tell you what your problem is friend, though undoubtedly it’ll be a waste of time, because you won’t allow yourself to see it. You have a jealousy problem. That’s right. You heard me right. I said jealousy. You’re jealous of Trump and his wealth. You shouldn’t be but you are. But you’re too dumb to see it. And hence we have you mouthing off that you don’t like Jack and Tom because they are Trump voters. Get a life buddy. You should be ashamed of yourself sir, very deeply ashamed.

  19. Tom has been my favourite golfer since I became interested in the game. My Wife and I followed him and Jack Nicklaus around St Andrews in a practice round during The Open in the ‘80’s, the year he lost to Seve. They were two gentlemen, acknowledging the gallery, a few wise cracks, happy to sign autographs. They recognised it was the paying public who at that time made a major contribution to the prize money they played for, in the days before Sky and LIV throwing stupid money at petulant modern pro’s. I saw Tom again a few years back at Carnoustie in the Seniors Open. We were standing near where his drive landed, the only people near. As he walked to his ball, Tom gave us a little nod. Just a wonderful example of the best of humanity.

  20. Watson is the most entitled, arrogant jackass ever to swing a golf club. Smug and just not worthy of anybpart of the respect he gets

  21. Im surprised at all the ugly comments. Ive known Watson since ‘79 and he’s a gentleman unrivaled. He might not be a perfect human being but he’s pretty close. Give him a break.

  22. I am a lifelong golfer and a huge fan. The two saddest things I ever watched were Tom Watson making bogey on the 18th hole of the 2009 (I believe) Open championship and the 1979 Masters when Ed Sneed bogeyed the last three holes and then lost a playoff to Fuzzy Zoeller. I followed Ed Sneed at the Western Open in Chicago a few years later and I was impressed with what a likable and courteous golfer he was. Watson had already won 8 majors but my heart broke for Ed Sneed's misfortune.

  23. Highest respect for Tom. He treated his golf caddy, Bruce Edwards like a brother, and it always showed he loved the guy. It was sad Bruce got ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, which he died from. I believe that he treated people well. I bet Jack would have won more tournaments if Watson wasn’t out on the tour.

  24. If there is a golfer whose esteem has continuously risen over the years, it’s the talented and classy Tom Watson. He epitomizes what it means to be a champion golfer. He’d be in my Dream Foursome.

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