Tom Watson spent much of the 1970s and 1980s on top of the golf world. The American golfer led the PGA Tour money list on five occasions during the 20-year time span. He also secured eight major tournament victories.
Watson found much of his major tournament success in the United Kingdom. The golfer won the Open Championship five times between 1975 and 1983. During that nine-year run, Watson was nearly unstoppable as a golfer. He won two Masters tournaments and one U.S. Open. The only major Watson was unable to win was the PGA Championship. His best finish came in 1978 as he placed second in the tournament. The PGA Championship was the only element of the golf grand slam to elude Watson. Despite never winning the grand slam, Watson was still one of the best golfers of his day and a player that will remembered by golf fans and pundits.
Watson went on to play on the PGA Senior Tour. He won 14 times on the circuit with six of those wins being in senior major events.
The golfer is remembered today for his incredible streaks and elite performances. For nearly four decades, Watson made at least one PGA Tour cut per season. His low PGA score of 65 was recorded on two different occasions (1993 and 2000). Watson is the only person to score a round of 67 or lower in one of the four majors in five decades. His consistency has been unmatched by any other golfer to date.
Named PGA Player of the Year on six occasions, Watson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988. He has since been given a lifetime membership to the European Tour. Watson continues to golf today. Since 2007, he has hosted the Watson Challenge in his home state of Kansas.