Great vibe at RM this year. Watson exploded out of the blocks on Thursday and they couldn't catch him. Sunday's final trio of Norman, Baker-Finch and Watson was sensational. If only they could have made more birdies but RM knows how to defend herself well.
Interesting situation with Tom Watson playing in the event and Jack Newton providing TV commentary. These two played to a 72-hole tie at the 1975 Open Championship at Carnoustie. Watson would go on to win in an 18-hole playoff. Newton would record another a 2nd place finish in a major at the 1980 Masters, where he tied with Gibby Gilbert behind winner Seve Ballesteros. The career of Jack Newton would be tragicly cut short after a 1983 accident, which resulted in severe life-threatning injuries. Thankfully, he survived and went on to become a most respected TV commentator as well as an inspirational supporter of Australian golf. He even learned to play a style of one-handed golf that allowed for occasional scores in the mid-80s.
Tom Watson beat a vreat field here. In the halcyn days or years of golf from 1980 to 1995? I was a caddy at Royal Melbourne at age 14,15 and 16. We caddied for the ric h members and wete allowed to play after 4pm. Only on the East Course. We had a Caddy Crad we woukd ahow the ranger who roamed the course on a motir bike. Allegedly armed with a salt gun to shoot people playing or just trespassing on the course!
This victory marked the end of Tom Watson's reign of dominance in golf, which lasted from 1977-'84. During that span, he won seven major championships (4 of his 5 British Open titles, both of his Masters titles, and his lone U.S. Open title in 1982), was the PGA Player of the Year six times (1977-'80, '82, and '84), and capped off that period of dominance in the game with this win in the Australian Open, adding to the Australian Open's illustrious honor roll of champions. Now, that's not to say he wasn't done performing well on the game's biggest stages, winning the inaugural TOUR Championship in 1987, and near-misses at the 1991 Masters, and most famously, the 2009 British Open nearing his 60th birthday. But Watson's win in the '84 Australian Open over the likes of Greg Norman and Ian Baker- Finch, who he was paired with in the final round of that year's British Open (won by Seve), marked the end his his reign of dominance in the sport.
+cjs83172 Tom Watsons second shot on the 71st hole at St Andrews in the 1984 Open Championship ended his reign of dominance in golf...He himself has admitted he was never the same player again. As a massive Watson fan and follower of Golf I cannot remember any other golfer who slipped from the best in the world over such a long period (7-8 years) to maybe a top 50 player at best as quickly as he did. yes he had the odd challenge and probably should have won the 87 US Open and probably the 1989 Open at Troon and we wont mention the agony of 2009
Or even the 1991 Masters, which saw him be tied for the lead on the 72nd hole, but as he had done in 1978, he made a mess of the last hole to prevent himself from being in a playoff. His double bogey dropped him to a tie for third place behind Ian Woosnam and Jose-Maria Olazabal. As great a player as Watson was, I don't think there was ever a player of that caliber who lost as many major championships he should have won as he did. There were the U.S. Opens of 1974 and '75, the Masters in 1978 and '91, and the PGA Championship in 1978, when he blew a 5-stroke lead and lost in a playoff to John Mahaffey. And those were the most glaring examples, because there were others, such as the U.S. Opens in 1983 and '87 that he could have easily won, but simply got beaten. But I don't put as much blame on what happened at the '84 British Open as others do, because Seve was probably going to win anyway. Watson was struggling during 1984, even prior to the British Open, and it might have been a surprise to him that he played so well that week. (Chris Schenkel even mentioned in the '84 Masters film that 1984 was not a particularly good year for him up to that point.) Why I think that was so devastating to him was that it cost him a chance to win the British Open at St. Andrews, and when the British Open is played there, it means more than when it's played at any other site. And his defeat in 1984 cost him that distinction as a player that won the British Open at St. Andrews, something he said even last year that he looks on with regret. But what Watson's decline did was to inaugurate the era of the international players, because his decline created a vacuum in American golf that wasn't really filled until 1997, because it meant that there was no American player that could consistently challenged the international players that dominated the sport from the mid 80s through the mid 90s.
I had forgotten about the '78 British Open at St. Andrews (even after the Golf Channel's replay of the final round in 2015), but that was yet another one he let get away, in addition to the others I mentioned ('74, '75, '83, and '87 U.S. Opens, '78 PGA Championship, '78 and '91 Masters). The only really close call to a major championship win that he was giftwrapped a chance to win was the '79 Masters, when Ed Sneed blew a 5-shot lead, resulting in Fuzzy Zoeller winning in a playoff over both Watson and Sneed. But I can not think of any other player that great who gave away so many big championships, not even Greg Norman.
+cjs83172 the 1978 PGA was probably the ONLY tournament that should have been a definite and one he threw away. The others were a combination of other players being better on the day (simpson 3 birdies on the closing 5 holes in 87.) Normans charge up the leaderboard in 89 even though he didn't win it must have affected both Watson and Grady... 91 a poor tee shot on the 18th and in 2009 the fact Cink was in the lead in the tournament for the first time on the 74th tee was downright cruel on Watson....
+cjs83172 Interesting comments that I'd agree with in the main.You're spot on regarding the vacuum that his decline left in the Mid 80's. Great American players up to that point had come along every 10 years - palmer, Nicklaus, then Watson but there was a larger gap between Watson and Woods that allowed European golfers like Seve Faldo and Langer to thrive. The US took it's time to build up something really special in Woods.Watson's peak years came a little early for me to see but he was an aggressive player who was never particularly straight or controlled, even in his peak years. He was never a great driver of the ball and often relied on a superb short game to bail him out of trouble. The so called Watson par. He was probably the best putter in the world from 77-83 and one of the best putters ever to grace the game up to that point. It cannot be overstated how good he was with the blade in his prime.A very different player from the man he supplanted, Nicklaus and more similar to Palmer really - bold and attacking with a great putting touch. A credit to the game in the way he's carried himself all these years.
The woods were wooden! It was only a few years later and Taylor Made introduced the metal woods and we all started hitting them. They were small and now theyre Titanium and larger abd lighter, plus theres adjustable swing weights to shape drives, and the scores are no better!
This was without a doubt my biggest and most memorable victory!To win with one of my all time idols and an absolute legend of the game,Tom Watson,on his first ever visit to the world famous Royal Melbourne,was very special for me!Added to the fact that the Australian Open at that time was regarded as the 5th Major(before the advent of the Players)and to win the Open of my adopted country after finishing runner-up with Bill Brask;Ben Crenshaw;Greg Norman and having had high finishes with Brask again,David Graham,Hubert Green and Bill Rogers in it previously,i was beginning to think that it was my nemesis and that i had been "snake bitten"!However,Tom Watson made it a perfect week for me with his superb play from tee to green on one of the very best golf courses in the World and victory against Greg Norman,another of my previous employers and one of the best that i ever caddied for,was indeed a very sweet and rewarding experience! www.caddielegend.mysite.com
The theme tune to this 1984 Australian Open Golf Tournament sounds very disco-like with a disco music beat & feel!
Also the theme of miss Chinese international
Rodger Davis with the plus fours...sartorial elegance and excellence 👏
Great vibe at RM this year. Watson exploded out of the blocks on Thursday and they couldn't catch him. Sunday's final trio of Norman, Baker-Finch and Watson was sensational. If only they could have made more birdies but RM knows how to defend herself well.
Mike Clayton..
Thank you for Barnboogle 🙏
Interesting situation with Tom Watson playing in the event and Jack Newton providing TV commentary. These two played to a 72-hole tie at the 1975 Open Championship at Carnoustie. Watson would go on to win in an 18-hole playoff. Newton would record another a 2nd place finish in a major at the 1980 Masters, where he tied with Gibby Gilbert behind winner Seve Ballesteros. The career of Jack Newton would be tragicly cut short after a 1983 accident, which resulted in severe life-threatning injuries. Thankfully, he survived and went on to become a most respected TV commentator as well as an inspirational supporter of Australian golf. He even learned to play a style of one-handed golf that allowed for occasional scores in the mid-80s.
Jack sadly now deceased. One of if not the best golf commentator.
I was 1 and didnt watch it live but I did enjoy it now
Tom Watson beat a vreat field here. In the halcyn days or years of golf from 1980 to 1995? I was a caddy at Royal Melbourne at age 14,15 and 16. We caddied for the ric h members and wete allowed to play after 4pm. Only on the East Course. We had a Caddy Crad we woukd ahow the ranger who roamed the course on a motir bike. Allegedly armed with a salt gun to shoot people playing or just trespassing on the course!
This victory marked the end of Tom Watson's reign of dominance in golf, which lasted from 1977-'84. During that span, he won seven major championships (4 of his 5 British Open titles, both of his Masters titles, and his lone U.S. Open title in 1982), was the PGA Player of the Year six times (1977-'80, '82, and '84), and capped off that period of dominance in the game with this win in the Australian Open, adding to the Australian Open's illustrious honor roll of champions.
Now, that's not to say he wasn't done performing well on the game's biggest stages, winning the inaugural TOUR Championship in 1987, and near-misses at the 1991 Masters, and most famously, the 2009 British Open nearing his 60th birthday. But Watson's win in the '84 Australian Open over the likes of Greg Norman and Ian Baker- Finch, who he was paired with in the final round of that year's British Open (won by Seve), marked the end his his reign of dominance in the sport.
+cjs83172 Tom Watsons second shot on the 71st hole at St Andrews in the 1984 Open Championship ended his reign of dominance in golf...He himself has admitted he was never the same player again. As a massive Watson fan and follower of Golf I cannot remember any other golfer who slipped from the best in the world over such a long period (7-8 years) to maybe a top 50 player at best as quickly as he did. yes he had the odd challenge and probably should have won the 87 US Open and probably the 1989 Open at Troon and we wont mention the agony of 2009
Or even the 1991 Masters, which saw him be tied for the lead on the 72nd hole, but as he had done in 1978, he made a mess of the last hole to prevent himself from being in a playoff. His double bogey dropped him to a tie for third place behind Ian Woosnam and Jose-Maria Olazabal. As great a player as Watson was, I don't think there was ever a player of that caliber who lost as many major championships he should have won as he did. There were the U.S. Opens of 1974 and '75, the Masters in 1978 and '91, and the PGA Championship in 1978, when he blew a 5-stroke lead and lost in a playoff to John Mahaffey. And those were the most glaring examples, because there were others, such as the U.S. Opens in 1983 and '87 that he could have easily won, but simply got beaten.
But I don't put as much blame on what happened at the '84 British Open as others do, because Seve was probably going to win anyway. Watson was struggling during 1984, even prior to the British Open, and it might have been a surprise to him that he played so well that week. (Chris Schenkel even mentioned in the '84 Masters film that 1984 was not a particularly good year for him up to that point.) Why I think that was so devastating to him was that it cost him a chance to win the British Open at St. Andrews, and when the British Open is played there, it means more than when it's played at any other site. And his defeat in 1984 cost him that distinction as a player that won the British Open at St. Andrews, something he said even last year that he looks on with regret.
But what Watson's decline did was to inaugurate the era of the international players, because his decline created a vacuum in American golf that wasn't really filled until 1997, because it meant that there was no American player that could consistently challenged the international players that dominated the sport from the mid 80s through the mid 90s.
I had forgotten about the '78 British Open at St. Andrews (even after the Golf Channel's replay of the final round in 2015), but that was yet another one he let get away, in addition to the others I mentioned ('74, '75, '83, and '87 U.S. Opens, '78 PGA Championship, '78 and '91 Masters). The only really close call to a major championship win that he was giftwrapped a chance to win was the '79 Masters, when Ed Sneed blew a 5-shot lead, resulting in Fuzzy Zoeller winning in a playoff over both Watson and Sneed. But I can not think of any other player that great who gave away so many big championships, not even Greg Norman.
+cjs83172 the 1978 PGA was probably the ONLY tournament that should have been a definite and one he threw away. The others were a combination of other players being better on the day (simpson 3 birdies on the closing 5 holes in 87.) Normans charge up the leaderboard in 89 even though he didn't win it must have affected both Watson and Grady... 91 a poor tee shot on the 18th and in 2009 the fact Cink was in the lead in the tournament for the first time on the 74th tee was downright cruel on Watson....
+cjs83172 Interesting comments that I'd agree with in the main.You're spot on regarding the vacuum that his decline left in the Mid 80's. Great American players up to that point had come along every 10 years - palmer, Nicklaus, then Watson but there was a larger gap between Watson and Woods that allowed European golfers like Seve Faldo and Langer to thrive. The US took it's time to build up something really special in Woods.Watson's peak years came a little early for me to see but he was an aggressive player who was never particularly straight or controlled, even in his peak years. He was never a great driver of the ball and often relied on a superb short game to bail him out of trouble. The so called Watson par. He was probably the best putter in the world from 77-83 and one of the best putters ever to grace the game up to that point. It cannot be overstated how good he was with the blade in his prime.A very different player from the man he supplanted, Nicklaus and more similar to Palmer really - bold and attacking with a great putting touch. A credit to the game in the way he's carried himself all these years.
Steve Williams...going through his Def Leppard phase...
The woods were wooden! It was only a few years later and Taylor Made introduced the metal woods and we all started hitting them. They were small and now theyre Titanium and larger abd lighter, plus theres adjustable swing weights to shape drives, and the scores are no better!
Tom Watson was wearing red on Sunday...the original Tiger.
I thought this was the Love Boat in the beginning
I wonder whether that's the putter with which Tom won the 1977 Open, the only Major he won without a Ping putter.
Back when Victoria had a police force not a community service.
10:45
Yip
WHY DO THEY NEED TO MENTIOJN THE WINNERS NAME I THE TITLE. DONT ANSWER THAT.
This was without a doubt my biggest and most memorable victory!To win with one of my all time idols and an absolute legend of the game,Tom Watson,on his first ever visit to the world famous Royal Melbourne,was very special for me!Added to the fact that the Australian Open at that time was regarded as the 5th Major(before the advent of the Players)and to win the Open of my adopted country after finishing runner-up with Bill Brask;Ben Crenshaw;Greg Norman and having had high finishes with Brask again,David Graham,Hubert Green and Bill Rogers in it previously,i was beginning to think that it was my nemesis and that i had been "snake bitten"!However,Tom Watson made it a perfect week for me with his superb play from tee to green on one of the very best golf courses in the World and victory against Greg Norman,another of my previous employers and one of the best that i ever caddied for,was indeed a very sweet and rewarding experience! www.caddielegend.mysite.com
I take it Tom is as per what we see Paul, a complete gentleman?