Is Tom Watson fit to serve as the American team Captain for the 2014 Ryder Cup?
Thomas Sturges Watson is one of the pioneers of American golf. He has given the American golf a good name. Born on September 4, 1949, Watson started playing golf at an early age. He was initially coached by his father.
The American studied from Stanford University and became a professional golfer way back in 1971.
He joined the Professional Golf Association Tour in 1972, the Champions Tour in 1999 and just recently joined the European Seniors Tour.
He has won 70 titles in his extensive professional career. With 39 wins on the PGA Tour, 4 victories on the Japan Golf Tour and 14 on the Champions Tour, he has a commendable record.
Watson has 8 wins at the major championships. He won the Masters Tournament twice, in 1977 and 1981. He won the U.S. Open once in 1982 due to a magnificent showcase of his golfing talent on the fairways.
He has enjoyed most of his success at The Open Championship, which he won five times. The span of his wins in the tournament is from 1975 to 1983.
The American has never been able to win the PGA Championship. His best performance in the Championship came in 1978, when he secured the respectable second place.
He has numerous achievements to his name. Watson was inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame back in 1988. He dominated the PGA Tour leading money winner from the late 1970’s to early years of 1980’s.
With such a successful career and with such magnificent performances in his time, the American was awarded the PGA Player of the Year award five times in his career.
He also has the privilege of achieving the Vardon Trophy, the Bob Jones Award, Old Tom Morris Award and the Payne Stewart Award.
Watson has had one the most mesmerizing golfing careers in history and has changed the level of the game with his exquisite drives that he used to shoot to perfection.
He is also an extremely famous figure in Scotland and England. He has captained the Ryder Cup team once before and is the most preferred person to captain the team this time around as well.
The Americans do not have a decent record at the Ryder Cup, which currently stands at 2 -7, with the Europeans leading.
The last time the Americans won the Ryder Cup was way back in 1999 and, that too, on home soil. The last time the American team won in Europe was way back in 1993, when the team was being captained by Watson.
The veteran golfer is one of the most respectable figures in the golf community and amongst his peers.
The American team will gear up for the Ryder Cup in 2014. The Professional Golf Association of American will have to come up with a definite strategy to topple the Europeans.
With the record the American has, it is no doubt that he is qualified for the job. However, it is yet to be seen what impact the expertise of the veteran will yield on the team in the coming Ryder Cup.
There were other options available for the PGA of America. Nevertheless, the decision of making Watson the team Captain is best suited because he will have the required command and control over the younger players.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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