Tom Watson came close to winning the 2009 Open Championship at nearly 60-years old. While it’s not quite the same as a sixth Claret Jug, today Watson became the oldest player ever to win the Masters’ Par-3 Contest.
The 68-year old Watson posted a 6-under score of 21 that edged Tommy Fleetwod of England and Thomas Pieters of Belgium by one stroke.
“That’s pretty good. It’s the Watson of old,” the two-time Masters winner joked afterward.
The previous record (for oldest winner) was set by Sam Snead in 1974 at the age of 61. Playing in a group with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, the two-time Masters winner was laser-like accurate, both off the tee and on the green, needing just eight putts over the entire nine holes.
“The only two-putt green he had was the last one,” Nicklaus said. “And he had a total of eight putts for the whole nine. That’s pretty good.”