Tom Watson was late for our interview. That’s not his style so he texted me the next morning at 6:14 a.m. to apologize as if it had kept him up half the night. I told him “no worries,” that I would’ve waited another hour or two – at least – to sit at Bay Hill Golf & Lodge and drink Arnold Palmers with him while discussing golf, life, and more specifically, his life in golf.
After all, he had a legit excuse for being late.
It’s easy to lose track of time while roaming the halls of Palmer’s Bay Hill, eyes trained on the walls at all the memorabilia and framed photos (this is Watson’s favorite below). Imagine the memories with The King that he must have.
I first met Tom, my favorite golfer of my youth, at an exhibition he gave ahead of the 1990 British Open at St. Andrews. I was part of an overseas exchange program and our coach/chaperone happened to bump into him after the exhibition washing his hands at the bathroom of all places and had enough chutzpah to approach him and ask him if he would spend a few minutes with the lone group of Americans in the audience. Watson couldn’t have been more generous with his time, and the experience left a lasting impression on me. Funny enough, our conversation at Bay Hill in late December ahead of the PNC Championship began with Watson relaying his own unforgettable experience as a teen with his childhood hero at a golf exhibition.
GOLFWEEK: Since we’re here at Arnie’s Place, do you remember the first time you met him?
TOM WATSON: I had a chance to play with Arnold in an exhibition in 1965 at Brookridge Country Club with Stan Thirsk, my teaching pro, and that was kind of the beginning for me. Arnie was my hero, and a couple years later I had a chance to play with Jack, and he was the villain. I loved the way Jack hit the golf ball. I watched him hit these 1‑irons off the tee at Topeka Country Club in an exhibition. He hit this 1‑iron straight up in the air. I’m like, ‘I can’t do that.’ I go back to Stan and I said, ‘He hits the ball so high,’ and he said, ‘You’ve got to be more upright. You’ve got to get your hands and arms.’ So that’s what we did, tried to pattern my swing more after Jack. But with Arnie, I shot 34 on the front nine and tied him and then 40 the back nine. It was a lot of fun.
My dad asked Arnie a question when he was showering getting ready to take off after the round was over. He said, ‘What’s one thing, Arnie, that will help my son be a better player?’ He said, ‘Have him play in as much competition as he can.’
GW: That was it, huh?
TW: That was his advice, and I give the same advice to kids today.