Who amongst us didn't feel for that pretty famous "vet" at the Open yesterday - Tom Watson. He was an icon to the "over fifties" right to that very last putt.
All the way round each of the four rounds, apparently unperturbed by the hype, the event, all these younger than young, new hopefuls, with their confidence, their energy, their flexibility- whatever happened to gangliness - and obvious skill, ever the gentleman, he quietly got on with his own game. If he thought to himself that if he heard the "fifty-nine going on sixty" "great for his age" etc etc, one more time he would definitely be making an alternative use of his four iron, parting someone's hair- it certainly did not show in his expression. But, with each of the four extra holes, despite the gentle smile, there was no hiding the pain behind his eyes, the slight hesitancy in his step and in his play, as his hopes were dashed slowly and torturously. What would he have given not to continue playing, not to watch the game which had excited audiences everywhere, quite simply disintegrate. He must have been in mental agony. Who amongst us, at whatever level we play this game, has not been just where he was, has not later re-run the whole nightmare over and over again, pin-pointing the moment in time when it all went wrong and used that time-worn phrase "if only" - but at least we didn't do it in front of the world.
Spare a thought for this golfer who smiled and behaved impeccably throughout and ask yourself - who was a winner?
All the way round each of the four rounds, apparently unperturbed by the hype, the event, all these younger than young, new hopefuls, with their confidence, their energy, their flexibility- whatever happened to gangliness - and obvious skill, ever the gentleman, he quietly got on with his own game. If he thought to himself that if he heard the "fifty-nine going on sixty" "great for his age" etc etc, one more time he would definitely be making an alternative use of his four iron, parting someone's hair- it certainly did not show in his expression. But, with each of the four extra holes, despite the gentle smile, there was no hiding the pain behind his eyes, the slight hesitancy in his step and in his play, as his hopes were dashed slowly and torturously. What would he have given not to continue playing, not to watch the game which had excited audiences everywhere, quite simply disintegrate. He must have been in mental agony. Who amongst us, at whatever level we play this game, has not been just where he was, has not later re-run the whole nightmare over and over again, pin-pointing the moment in time when it all went wrong and used that time-worn phrase "if only" - but at least we didn't do it in front of the world.
Spare a thought for this golfer who smiled and behaved impeccably throughout and ask yourself - who was a winner?
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