Nick Watney: Americans won't be playing for their country in the Open Championship
As the Open Championship kicks off at the windswept Royal St. George’s this week, players from both sides of the Atlantic spoke their hearts regarding their bid for the third major of the season. Few of them, however, spoke as honestly as the 30-year-old
Nick Watney, who regarded all the “patriotic hullabaloo” as a mere eye wash. Watney was talking to the reporters during a practice session at the Sandwich as he prepared to tee-off for his fourth Open appearances in five years.
“You never want to hear that you’re inferior or something like that,” he said. “But at the same time, all due respect to America, I don’t think anybody here is trying to win one for America.”
Watney, interestingly, is one of the flag bearers for the Americans and is one of the few American players who are heading into the event with dazzling form. He had a stunning season last year when he finished for a joint seventh in both the Masters as well
as the Open Championship at St.Andrews. Out of the four PGA Tour wins, Watney has won two of them this year. He won the AT&T National on July 3 and the WGC Cadillac Championship in March.
Currently ranked number 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), Watney is among the contingent of Top-10 American players who are being relied upon to bring an end to the major drought for the country. The Fresno California resident, however, minced
no words to speak the truth as it may stand.
“Golf is an individual game. We’re trying to win every tournament, and if it happens to be an American that wins I guess we’ll be on the comeback trail or whatever. But I think the person that wins, will be doing it for themselves first and foremost,” Watney
added.
Watney turned professional in 2003 and his first professional victory came at the Canadian Tour, the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial, the same year. He moved over to the Nationwide Tour in 2004 and finished the season with victory at the closing event of the year,
barely managing to earn a tour card for the PGA.
After enduring two years of disappointing wait, Watney won his first PGA Tour title, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2007. Watney had to wait for another two years to post his second victory on the tour, the 2009 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf
Course in San Diego.
The Open Championship, set to tee-off on Thursday July 14, is one of the oldest and the most revered of events in the history of sport. The championship is played on one of the nine Scottish Links-style courses, which pose a serious threat to the American
golfers.
Watney is currently in his best form for the moment, especially after taking over the likes of Dustin Johnson in WGC Cadillac Championship and K.J. Choi in the AT&T National just a fortnight ago.
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