Maybe Oakley will finish above Watson
July 24, 2009
Pete Oakley, the Director of Golf for the Rookery Golf Course in Milton, should be inspired by the example set by Tom Watson.
Watson almost pulled off a record-setting performance in last week’s British Open, missing an unprecedented victory by what would have been the oldest man ever to win the long-running tournament. In the final round, Watson hit his eight-iron approach to the eighteenth hole just a little too well, running it over the green and up against the fringe. His putt then ran eight feet by, and he couldn’t make the next putt for the par and the win.
In the ensuing four-hole playoff, Watson’s age appeared to catch up to him. He parred one hole, took a bogey on another hole, butchered the third playoff hole for a double bogey, and shot another bogey for the finish. Stewart Cink, who was two years old when Watson won his first major, strolled in with a relatively easy six-shot margin in the playoff, after making birdie on the last hole in regulation to force Watson to make the par he couldn’t.
In this week’s Senior British Open, Oakley will be facing Watson again, but this time there won’t be any thirty-somethings joining them in the competition. At Sunningdale Golf Club near London, Oakley will be going for his second Senior Open victory, after surprising the golf world with his performance in 2004 at Royal Portrush Golf Club. Watson will attempt to earn his fourth Senior Open victory, which would break his current tie of three with fellow Hall of Famer Gary Player.
Oakley’s relatively lackluster competitive record thus far this season would make him another surprising victor this week.
In the opening tournament in Brunei, which finished on March 1, Oakley picked up a quick 2,800 Euros for his tie for 27th place. Three weeks later, in the DGM Barbados Open, he finished in a tie for 31st, which nonetheless earned him another 1,135 Euros.
He returned to the European Senior Tour in early May, with a tie for 25th place in the Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open. Oakley picked up just over 2,792 Euros for his even-par performance.
Two weeks later, Oakley missed the cut in the United States Senior PGA Championship, held at Canterbury Golf Club in Beachwood, Ohio. Even so, his 80-79 performance earned him another 740 Euros toward the European Senior Tour Order of Merit.
Oakley then traveled to Europe for a four-week stretch of tournaments on the Tour. On June 7, he tied for 56th place in the Irish Seniors Open, held in association with Failte Ireland and AIB Bank at the famous Ballybunion Golf Club, in County Kerry.
He then jumped over to the Channel Islands the next week, for the Jersey Seniors Classic, held at La Moye Golf Club. Oakley had his best tournament finish of the year thus far, a tie for 16th place with an even-par score, and good for 1,629 Euros.
For the next tournament, Oakley hopped to yet another island, for the Ryder Cup Wales Senior Open, held at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, in Mid Glamorgan. He finished the three-day event on June 21 in a tie for 41st place with Bob Charles, the famous New Zealand left-hander. His twelve-over par score earned him another 2,764 Euros.
For his most recent tournament, Oakley traveled to Northumberland, England for the De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship, held from June 25 through 28 at the Hunting Course, De Vere Slaley Hall. He tied for 53rd with his 13-over par score for the four-day event, earning Oakley another 1,136 Euros.
At this point, Oakley is in 48th place on the Order of Merit, and so he will face some additional pressure to play well for the rest of the season. Compared to some of the other European Senior Tour events, this week’s Senior Open offers him a chance to earn a truly interesting sum of money, especially if he manages to finish among the top fifteen spots or so.