Gleneagles clash set to be Watson’s swansong?

Tom Watson has dropped a strong hint that next year could be his last hurrah in professional golf.

He will play in his final Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in July as his special exemption for almost winning at Turnberry in 2009 finally runs out. Then next September, he will return to these shores as American Ryder Cup Captain for the match at Gleneagles.

So, what better way to bow out of the game than by leading the US to their first victory in Europe since 1993, when he was also captain? And where else but Scotland, where Watson won four of his five Claret Jugs? The man from Kansas, however, is non-committal about the idea of a big farewell.

“I haven’t played particularly well lately,” he admits. “That continues to be a disappointment. “I see the horizon getting closer to the time when I’m going to have to hang it up, and I don’t relish that fact.

“I don’t like it because I’m a professional golfer and this is what I do. But I’m other things besides that and they have become more important in my life.

“Golfers can be pretty selfish and that attitude is apparent in all the great players. But the older you get, the more you understand there are more important things than just winning a golf tournament.

“I don’t know how I’m going to end my career. The end is getting closer and you have to prepare for the future. I’m 64 years old and I’ve had a really good run.

“It might be poetic to finish my career in Scotland but I’ve not really given it any thought because I still feel that I have some talent and ability left.”

Watson has been at Gleneagles in the past week as part of the One Year to Go events ahead of next year’s clash between Europe and the Americans. The American legend has been brought in by the PGA of America as the man to wrestle back the Cup.

Europe have won seven of the last nine matches, although Watson has never experienced defeat in any of his five matches as player or captain. And he’ll call on memories from The Belfry 20 years ago in his efforts to mastermind an away win at Gleneagles.

“I spoke to the basketball coach Roy Williams about tips for an away game,” he recalls. “He told me: ‘Tom, I have a game plan for every game and we practise it, and then five minutes into the game I throw it out of the window and coach by the seat of my pants!’

“That’s why you’re there as a captain, as there are situations when the dynamics change. The key is if you can make the right decisions in the heat of battle. Not emotional decisions, but the best-informed ones.

“That’s the secret to being a good captain.”