By Sarah Gwynn, europeantour.com
in Zandvoort
At 66 years of age and with eight Major titles under his belt, there are not many firsts left for Tom Watson in golf, but this week he will make his maiden appearance in the Netherlands.
Many times he has been invited to play in the country's national Open – which is one of only seven tournaments to have been played every year since the European Tour started in 1972 – but it is only now he has been able to accept.
The five-time Open Champion is relishing the prospect of tackling KLM Open host venue Kennemer Golf and Country Club’s links-style course, which is shorter than most European Tour courses but by no means any less of a test, with its tight fairways and strong coastal winds.
“I’m very glad to accept the invitation this year, after many years of not being able to for one reason or another,” said Watson, who nearly won a sixth Open Championship at Turnberry in 2009.
“The course is even better than I expected, and I’d heard a lot of good things about it. Darren Clarke said to me on Monday morning when I arrived, ‘Tom, you’re going to love this course’. It’s a great traditional course – which in this day and age means short, but you add a 15-20mph wind and it’s not so short.
It’s a very, very good golf course and I’m very much looking forward to testing my game on it.
Tom Watson
Watson, who knows a thing or two about golf course design, having set up his own company creating courses across three continents, added: “When I design courses one of the things I aim for is for people to finish their round and want to play it again immediately. That’s what this place is like.”
The American is part of a strong field in Zandvoort, with Major Champions Martin Kaymer, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and YE Yang in attendance. Rising stars such as Tommy Fleetwood, Andy Sullivan and Thorbjørn Olesen are also in the field, as is home favourite Joost Luiten.
Watson’s considerable experience and wonderful success of links golf, however, will stand him in good stead to compete with players far younger than him.
“I haven’t really formulated a game-plan yet, but I’ll be doing so today in the pro-am,” he said. “I’ll be seeing where to hit shots and where not to hit shots.
“The greens are protected by deep, very fast run-offs, so you’d better not miss it on the short side. I’m still learning the course and will continue to learn it as I play it through the week.”
