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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP


July 18, 2008


Tom Watson


SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND

Q. Can you talk about your two days, please?
TOM WATSON: My two days, it would have been a lot better if the putter worked a little bit better. I missed a lot of short putts or I'd be in the tournament, frankly. I hit the ball well enough to be playing and competing in the last two rounds and competing for the tournament. But the putter is just awful.
It's one of those times where you kind of don't know what to do. You get out there, and it gets frustrating, and it seeped into a couple of swings in the back nine. But I still hit enough good shots that I should have been in the tournament, and I'm not. That is the putter's fault, and I'll just have to go back to the drawing board and find a different way of doing it.

Q. Do you think it's a byproduct of the wind conditions and not being able to stay steady?
TOM WATSON: I think it's a byproduct of my lousy stroke.

Q. What's your reaction to seeing Greg Norman up there on the leaderboard?
TOM WATSON: My reaction is I'm not surprised. Greg is a great wind player. He's played two of the finest rounds of golf I've ever seen around here at Turnberry and Sandwich, when he won those two tournaments. He can just dominate a golf course in the worst of conditions. He's a great bad-weather player.
Tomorrow it's supposed to blow like crazy, so he'll still be in this tournament.

Q. Can I ask what you made of Justin's game over the last two days?
TOM WATSON: Well, Justin got the job done. He didn't play as well as I know he would have liked to have played. He hit a few wayward shots, and this golf course got him, just like it gets anybody that hits a few wayward shots.
I know he knows he's going to have to hit the ball a little bit straighter the last two rounds of the tournament to get back in contention.

Q. What will your preparation be now for next week?
TOM WATSON: Well, I'm going to the booth tomorrow for ABC/ESPN. I'll be there for the next two days. I'll be putting your hat on for the next couple days, and I'm looking forward to that. I've done a little bit of it for TNT so far yesterday, so I'm looking forward to that. That will be okay.

Q. What does what happened this week tell you about the Senior British now?
TOM WATSON: Well, I'm hitting the ball well. This is a tough golf course. If we have wind at Troon, I think I'll be able to deal with it, keep the ball in play.
I drove the ball very well with the exception of a couple drives in two days. That's what you have to do at Troon. You have to put the ball in the fairway.
I'm looking forward to it. I have some good memories at Troon.

Q. Are you going to sneak out a little bit and work on the putter after you're done with the booth?
TOM WATSON: How do you know me so well?

Q. Oh, I don't know, 25 years.
TOM WATSON: Yeah, I'll be on the putting green here.

Q. How would you describe your broadcasting style?
TOM WATSON: My broadcasting style? I don't know, you're going to have to describe it for the viewers. I don't know. They asked me to do it, and I said, "I don't want to do that." But on the other hand, the British Open is not a bad place for you to do it. You have a chance to play in it, see the golf course, and tell the viewers what you think of a particular shot. I said, you know what, I probably can do that. Let me give it a try. So that's what I'm going to do the next couple days.

Q. You said you weren't surprised to see Greg where he is right now. What do you think he needs to do over the next couple of days to make sure he stays in contention?
TOM WATSON: Well, I think believe in himself is probably the most important thing. He says that he hasn't been there at all for the last five or ten years, so this type of pressure is something he's going to have to deal with and believe in himself. I think he's in a great frame of mind. He just got remarried, and there's kind of a golden aura when you get remarried. I've been there (laughter).

Q. How many putters are you carrying over here?
TOM WATSON: It's just one.

End of FastScripts




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