TURNBERRY, Scotland - -In a stunning development at the British Open, a 59-year-old man on the verge of 60 has revealed that he actually read a text message and then successfully completed a reply.
This improbable scenario has helped illustrate the awesome span of the career of one Tom Watson, who has shot a glowing 65 at Turnberry while dredging mysticism from floating dirt in the prehistoric era of 1977, and has shot a glowing 65 at Turnberry while gaining "serenity" from a sitting message on a sleek gadget in the digital era of 2009.
"Don't ask me to Twit or tweet; I don't tweet," he protested, but even those elusive skills may be within his potential considering his perfectly apt fielding of a text from a certain Barbara Nicklaus of North Palm Beach, Fla.
Fifty-nine, after all, could be the new 29 after an enchanting Thursday by the Firth of Clyde in which Watson led all the day until the crafty pup of 45, Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, just pipped him with a 50-foot birdie at sundown on No. 18. "He's a legend here with us," Jimenez said.
Serially for 32 years, Watson has spoken of the wafting dust kicked up by galleries during the famed "Duel in the Sun" of 1977 against Jack Nicklaus, and how it lent a storybook quality when viewing it down the fairway.
Suddenly on Thursday, some 32 years after Nicklaus shot 68-70-65-66 but Watson shot 68-70-65-65, Watson spoke of the poignancy of the text from his rival's wife of 49 years. It complimented Watson's caddie. It wished Watson good luck. It summoned Watson's thumb skills.
"I texted her back," he said miraculously, "and I said, 'You know, we really miss you over here.' And I really meant it. It's not the same without Jack playing in the tournament. And today, I think there was some spirituality out there today, just the serenity of it was pretty neat."
He has solved Turnberry at age 27 for the second of his five British Open titles. He has mostly deciphered it at 44 when he led after two rounds but missed a 5-foot putt on Sunday in 1994 and plunged to 11th in his biggest disappointment, after which the Watsons and the Nicklauses dined and wined, after which Jack Nicklaus cajoled Watson into playing the short course at 11 p.m. for comic relief. He has cracked Turnberry at age 53 with a 64 in the final round of the Senior Open.
