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Sports

Wednesday July 22, 2009

One for the ages from Watson

TURNBERRY (Scotland): Tom Wat­son’s stunning run at the British Open seven weeks short of his 60th birthday has lent new weight to the assertion that age is no obstacle in top class sport.

The American living legend missed an eight foot putt on the 72nd hole that would have made him, by 11 years, the oldest player ever to win a major, but his magnificent march against time, rather than Stewart Cink’s win, went down as the story of the week at Turnberry.

It followed on from Greg Norman’s efforts last year at Birkdale when, at the age of 53, the Australian led the Open with nine holes to go before he finally had to admit defeat to a fast-finishing Padraig Harrington.

And earlier this year 48-year-old Kenny Perry led the US Masters by two strokes with two holes to go be­­­­­fore losing in a playoff to Angel Cabrera.

How is it possible for someone like Watson, nine months after hip replacement surgery to totally outplay a super-fit, 33-year-old Tiger Woods, who failed to make the cut, and other top-level golfers half his age.?

“I think it’s very clear what it says for the game of golf,” he said. “It means that the game of golf is long lived.

“We’ve always said that you play this game for a lifetime, and that’s not a cliche. You start at any age, and you can continue to play this game for a long, long time. One of the reasons I’m out here is because of the Champions (Seniors) Tour. I still am competitive. And I enjoy it.

“That keeps me active. That keeps me sharp. So it doesn’t surprise me that people in their 50s can still compete against the kids.”

Golf is the ideal sport for stretching the age barriers as it is not a contact sport, apart from clubhead hitting ball, and neither does it involve intense physical exertion.

But indications are that the same pattern is developing in other sports where being past 30 has generally been equated with being past one’s prime. Boxing has been a classic example through the likes of George Foreman and Evander Holyfield, both of whom have fought for and won world heavyweight titles when over 40 years old.

In tennis Martina Navratilova won the last of her US Open titles in the mixed doubles in 2006 when she was a month away from her 50th birthday and in swimming Dana Torres competed for the United States in last year’s Beijing Olympics — the first American swimmer to compete in five Olympics — winning aged 41 three silver medals.

Currently Lance Armstrong at 37 is competing in sport’s most gruelling event, the Tour de France, and so far he has held his own with the very best in the time-trials and mountain stages.

The American, who won seven Tours in a row before retiring from the sport in 2005, insists that age is not a problem.

“Winning is about heart, not just legs. It’s got to be in the right place,” said the Texan.

Still, it would be impossible to ima­gine a 59-year-old competing in the Tour in the near future. Or would it?

France’s very own Jeannie Longo at 49 took part in last year’s Beijing Olympics and has just won the French women’s national time trial cycling title for the eighth time.

So why not for men? — AFP

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