Tom Watson denied dream end to glittering career as he signs off for last time | Scott Murray

He almost pulled off an Open miracle in 2009 and epitomises golf’s joys of pitting old-timers against younger rivals

It seems like only yesterday. Yet it’s been 10 years since Tom Watson creamed that approach into the 18th at Turnberry, his ball taking a soft bounce and rolling gently towards the flag, stopping 18 inches from the cup. He tapped in for birdie, finishing the 2009 Open two clear of the second-placed nearly man Stewart Cink. As the gallery cavorted in ecstasy bordering on disbelief, Watson raised the Claret Jug. At a stately 59 years of age, he had become the oldest major champion, beating the record held by Julius Boros, the winner of the 1968 PGA as a 48-year-old whippersnapper. It was the most joyous day in golf’s history; the wonderful denouement of the greatest tale ever told. Nothing at all had gone wrong at any point.

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