Tom Watson

PRO GOLFER

“No other game combines the wonder of nature with the discipline of sport in such carefully planned ways.
A great golf course both frees and challenges a golfer’s mind.”
—Tom Watson

Tom Watson is one of the most successful golfers of all time, and he hails from right here in the Show Me State. He has won dozens of PGA tournaments, including several majors. In fact, Watson dominated the sport for four decades and continues to play competitively today. He has proven himself one of the greatest golfers in history and one of the most famous athletes to call Missouri his home.

THE EARLY YEARS

Thomas Sturges Watson was born on September 4, 1949, in Kansas City. He won the Kansas City match play championship at the age of fourteen and decided from that time on that he wanted to be a professional golfer. He graduated from Pembroke Hill High School, where he was an outstanding student and athlete. That combination catapulted him to one of the top colleges in the country, both for academics and golf, Stanford University.

RISE TO FAME

At Stanford, Watson was good but certainly not a dominating golfer. He graduated from Stanford in 1971 with a degree in psychology but decided to pursue a career in professional golf.

Tom turned pro the same year he graduated, but it took a few years before he was making enough money on the pro tour to earn a living. He was still a young man when he burst onto the scene at the 1974 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. The 25-year old golfer took a one-stroke lead into the final round, only to shoot a 79 that dropped him to 5th. The lack of a tournament win early in his career turned out to be a motivator, as he used those disappointments to become a dominating force on the tour.