It was a “perfect day to play Carnoustie” in the opinion of the man who won the first of his five Claret Jugs there 43 years ago – even Tom Watson’s old nemesis was tamed.
The great champion golfer was back at the Angus links for an R&A patron’s day this week, reminiscing about his first Open victory in 1975 when he played the long par three 16th five times in regulation and play-off and never parred it.
“I aim to do that today, and I think we’re off a forward tee, so I won’t be needing the driver,” said the 68-year-old, who the Open on his first visit and his debut at links golf, which was a pretty alien form of the game for the 25-year-old American.
“In 1975 it was totally dry, hard and fiery like they say here,” he said. “The ball rolled forever and for an American used to hitting it high in the air and the ball stopping the roll took a lot of getting used to.
“Carnoustie is one of those courses where the bunkers are in play and you have to challenge them. If you play short and safe you’re too far away to be very effective in getting the ball close to the hole.
“So you’ve got to be careful because if you make three, four mistakes and hit it in those bunkers, you’re not going to win the tournament.”
Tom has been back for later Open Championships and for two Senior Opens at Carnoustie, but he feels the course still plays largely the same as it did four decades ago.
“In `75 the first three days we had almost no wind at all and there were some very low scores, 66s and 67s which was a low score back then,” he recalled.
“Then in the final round the wind got up and the play-off it turned 180 degrees and the teeth were bared, as they say.
“Players hit the ball a long way now – I can’t play with these kids anymore, unfortunately – but I don’t think there’s a danger of Carnoustie being tamed. If the wind blows, this course is a tough as it gets.”
And even though length and accuracy off the tee is crucial around Carnoustie, Tom believes that it’s the short game that counts most, as it does at every links course.
“At my height, I was maybe the best chipper and putter in the game, Seve (Ballesteros) was that way too, and I think Jordan Spieth now is the same,” he said.
“Those are the major attributes because here at Carnoustie you’re going to miss a lot of greens because of the wind and you’d better be able to get it up and down.
“Keep it out of the bunkers around the greens and especially off the tee, minimise your mistakes or make up for them with your short game.
“There are a lot of young guys at the moment who can really play, and I can’t pick one to win, but he’d better be able to get it up and down.”
Does that include Tiger Woods?
“I don’t know how his short game is but he’s got the golf swing back and most importantly he’s playing without pain,” continued Tom.
“You can’t play golf when you’re in pain, bottom line. It effect everything, physical and mental. Tiger was like that for several years and it seems now he’s not, so hat’s why he’s back.
“He’s close. He has a chance to win and he’ll win again, without a doubt. Whether that’s here at Carnoustie or elsewhere, who knows.”
While he won’t be at Carnoustie – he’s playing at St Andrews in the Senior Open “and I can’t wait for that” – he still cherishes the event and links golf.
“To me it’s the world Open, it brings people from all over to play,” he said. “When we played in the 70s and 80s you had people from all over the world you’d never seen before coming to play.
“Links courses are still different than anywhere else. There are only like 230 true links courses in all the world and most of them are here and in Ireland.
“We just don’t play conditions like this anywhere else and that’s what makes it difficult and unique. You have to adjust your game and that’s one of the reasons I didn’t like links golf to begin with.
“I played the ball through the air as Americans did and expected the ball to stop because I hit to so high. But it doesn’t stop on links.
“Eventually I had the bite the bullet and deal with it, not fight it. And then I found I loved to play this way.”
