NEWS

Notebook: Tom Watson believes he's got a chance to contend at Liverpool

By Doug Ferguson
Published on
Notebook: Tom Watson believes he's got a chance to contend at Liverpool

Tom Watson has played 36 times in the British Open, but only four rounds at Royal Liverpool. That's mainly because it was out of the Open rotation from 1967 until 2006. Watson tied for 48th with no rounds in the 60s in 2006. 
 
But he saw enough of it to believe that at age 64, he can contend – especially if it's firm. 
 
Watson concedes that he doesn't have the distance to compete with players more than half of his age. Then again, Tiger Woods used a driver one only time when he won eight years ago. 
 
"One of the things about playing Hoylake is I don't hit the ball far enough to have to lay up with the driver," he said. "So go ahead and hit the driver. The driver is one of the strong suits of my game, so that fits right in against some of the kids. They have to kind of guess what to lay up with. I just go ahead and hit the driver out there. The course plays simpler for me than it does the kids." 
 
LPGA SELFIE: Karrie Webb took a selfie when she won the Founders Cup, not realizing how quickly it would catch on. 
 
It now is one of the best traditions going in golf. 
 
LPGA Tour photographer Gabe Roux shot the photo of Webb taking her own picture with her cellphone, and the tour immediately posted it to its social media channels. Since then, every tour winner has taken a selfie with the trophy. 
 
That included Michelle Wie at the U.S. Women's Open, and the USGA asked the tour to be sure to tag them to the photo on Twitter. 
 
SLOW START: Justin Rose opened with a 74 on his way to a playoff win at the Quicken Loans National. That was the highest first-round score by a PGA Tour winner this year. And it was only the second time a player shot over par in the opening round and went on to win. 
 
John Senden opened with a 1-over 72 when he won the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook, and Adam Scott shot a 1-over 71 when he won at Colonial. 
 
DIVOTS: Henrik Stenson, who lived in Dubai with his family before moving to Orlando, Fla., has signed a two-year partnership with Jumeirah Golf Estates. ... Justin Thomas has shot par or better in 39 of his 41 rounds on the Web.com Tour this year. The exceptions were both 1-over 73 in the third round in Panama and Midland, Texas. He is 78-under par for the year and No. 7 on the money list, virtually assured of a PGA Tour card next season. ... Jimmy Walker has been atop the FedExCup for all but one week this year. Walker and Bubba Watson (No. 2) are playing the Greenbrier Classic this week. ... No one had a bogey-free round at Congressional on the weekend. 
 
STAT OF THE WEEK: Martin Kaymer won The Players Championship and Bernhard Langer won the Constellation Senior Players Championship, the first time the winners have come from the same country other than the United States. 
 
FINAL WORD: "You get used to scoring how you're scoring." – Geoff Ogilvy, who has only four scores in the 60s in his last 28 rounds on the PGA Tour.