Newsday: Watson holds on to lead at British Open

TURNBERRY, Scotland -- This can't keep going, can it? Tom Watson can't continue rolling back the years and rolling in the putts, remaining on top of a British Open which may be lacking Tiger Woods but in no way is lacking in subplots, drama and emotion.

For a second straight year, someone out of the past has taken control of the present, making us wonder if anything we know about golf or sports makes sense and whether Watson for one final round is able to keep waking the echoes.

Greg Norman was 53 when he led after 54 holes of the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale and then, not unexpectedly, tumbled under the weight of the pressure, ending up tied for third behind Padraig Harrington.

Now we wait to see what 59-year-old Tom Watson, leading this 138th Open by a shot, is able to accomplish, not that what he's already accomplished at Turnberry so far hasn't been remarkable.

Watson was 27 when he won the Open at Turnberry in '77, the second of his five Open titles, defeating Jack Nicklaus by a stroke. Jack was 10 years older than Tom. Now Watson's closest competitors are in their 20s and 30s.

Of course, as the saying goes, the golf ball doesn't know how old you are.

Watson began the third round Saturday tied for first with Steve Marino at 5 under par. Marino destructed, a 76 with three 6s, one on a par 3. Watson wobbled, but after he dropped into second by a shot, he birdied 16 and 17 to walk off as the leader.

He is at 4-under 206 after a 1-over 71. Mathew Goggin, an Australian who plays the PGA Tour, and Ross Fisher, an Englishman who plays the European Tour - and tied for fifth in last month's U.S. Open at Bethpage - are at 207. Goggin shot 69, Fisher 70.

Tied for fourth at 2-under 208 are Lee Westwood of England and Retief Goosen of South Africa, a two-time U.S. Open winner.

To make things more interesting, Fisher's wife, Jo, is in London expecting the couple's first child, and he has said he would leave the tournament to be at her side if she went into labor. He has a jet standing by at nearby Prestwick.

Watson has two grown children. And, as he said, a sense of serenity. His poignant story involves memories of his longtime caddie Bruce Edwards, who died in April 2004 of ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease.

"It's kind of emotional out there,'' Watson conceded. "I looked at Ox [his caddie Neil Oxman, a friend and political consultant], after I hit my shot on the green at 18, handed him the club and said, 'Bruce is with us today.' He said, 'Don't make me cry.' So he started crying and I started crying.''

Watson insisted he's not thinking of the magnitude of what has been happening as he tries to become the oldest by 11 years to win a major tournament. Julius Boros was 48 when he took the 1968 PGA Championship.

"First day here,'' Watson said, "yeah, let the old geezer have his day in the sun, a 65. The second day you said, well, that's OK. And then now today, you perk up your ears and say this old geezer might have a chance to win the tournament. It's kind of like Greg Norman last year.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know I feel good about what I did today. I feel good about my game plan. And who knows, it might happen.''

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