A good walk spoiled ~ very spoiled

If you’ve ever tried to play the maddening game of golf, you’ll agree with American humorist Mark Twain who described it as a good walk spoiled.

Anyone watching the final round of yesterday’s Open Championship – the British Open for those who need a geographical connection – would say it was a good walk ruined.

A walk absolutely and completely ruined by the unrelenting golf gods who punish the slightest mistake.

Of course, you need to know some details. The leader for most of the event (4 rounds) was Tom Watson – just a few weeks shy of his 60th birthday. Now you don’t need to be a golf nut to know that 59 year olds win few tournaments – let alone those played on the harsh and challenging “links” courses of the British Isles.

The fact that Watson was in contention for all four days was nothing short of a miracle. The tournament had all the best players (except Tiger Woods who inexplicably missed the cut), the course at Turnberry, Scotland was windy and cool and there’s the pressure of winning golf’s oldest and most prestigious trophy: the Claret Jug. Indeed, this was High Drama along the Firth of Clyde.

Alas, Tom Watson made his one and only mistake on the final hole. It was a case of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. The TV commentators, old golfers turned reporters, had difficulty articulating the promise of the moment. Put simply victory for Watson would have been one of the greatest sporting feats of our era – say I.

Here is what the Associated Press wrote this morning:

What won’t be forgotten is the way a 59 year old man nearly delivered a win so monumental it was hard to compare it to anything else that came before. This type of thing simply can’t happen in most other sports, and had never happened before in golf either.

A very good walk spoiled - very spoiled.