Watson, Tom (1949-…), is an internationally successful American golfer. Watson has won 90 professional tournaments, including eight major titles. He won the U.S. Open in 1982, the Masters Tournament in 1977 and 1981, and the British Open in 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, and 1983. In 2009, Watson tied for first place in the British Open but lost in a play-off to the American golfer Stewart Cink. If Watson had won the tournament, he would have become the oldest player by more than 10 years to win a major.
Thomas Sturges Watson was born on Sept. 4, 1949, in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from Stanford University in California in 1971 with a degree in psychology. Watson played on the Stanford golf team and turned professional in 1971. His first professional victory was at the Western Open in 1974, held near Chicago.
Watson played for the United States Ryder Cup team four times, in 1977, 1981, 1983, and 1989, and was the captain of the team in 1993 and 2014. In the Ryder Cup, professional men’s golfers from the United States compete against a team from Europe every two years. Watson joined the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) in 1999. This tour is open to professional golfers at least 50 years old.
